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The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa were open to selling Douglas Luiz in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Now, Evans has delivered an update on what went on behind-the-scenes at Villa Park.

He said: “They expected more interest in Douglas Luiz, too. Strong messages that Manchester City were ready to activate a buy-back clause found their way to members of the Villa hierarchy, and for some time they were preparing for such an outcome.

“Villa were also open to moving Luiz on elsewhere and at the right price, but there wasn’t enough interest. Roma continue to be linked with Luiz and if they come in strong during the January window, Villa will be in a good position to get a higher transfer fee should his form remain at this high level.”

Then, in response to a question from a fan, Evans added: “Multiple sources confirmed that Villa would have listened to offers for Luiz at the right price. They would have had to move on a midfielder if Ward-Prowse arrived.”

Villa fans will be worried

While last season was a bit of a difficult one for Luiz – as per Whoscored, his average match rating of 6.67 was only good enough to rank him 15th in the entire Villa squad – his start to the current campaign has been outstanding.

In fact, his average rating of 7.08 is the best of any Villa player, and he continues to be a cornerstone of Dean Smith’s midfield. – last year saw him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

As Evans himself suggests, given the kind of “high level” his form is at right now, it would surely be ludicrous from Villa to be selling him in the January transfer window, even if his market value would be at its highest.

In fact, in a recent poll done by FFC, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (1180 votes to 66) – an indication of just how concerning it would be were the Brazilian to make the move to Roma or somewhere else.

Evans’ latest update is sure to have Villa fans worried about Luiz potentially making an exit in January.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard provided numerous injury updates on Friday ahead of this afternoon’s game with Burnley.

Gerrard revealed that Ashley Young is ‘50/50’ for the meeting with Sean Dyche’s men, while Keinan Davis, Morgan Sanson and Anwar El Ghazi, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore are all out.

He then shared details regarding surgery for defensive midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, which had a number of Villa fans talking on social media.

The 27-year-old injured his knee against Liverpool last weekend and is now facing a minimum of three months out.

Gerrard admitted that the Zimbabwe international, who missed the 2-0 win over Norwich City on Tuesday, could be back in 12 weeks if his recovery is ‘fantastic’, however, it could stretch to four months out if things don’t go to plan.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the multiple injury updates on their official Twitter page. This is what these fans had to say on the update with Nakamba…

“Honestly better than I feared. Really gutted for him missing AFCON and the need for a CDM in January has increased but otherwise, could have been a lot worse.”

Credit: @rad_nauseam

“Real shame for Marv. Never seen him play better. Realistically it will be next season before he gets back to that level. So unlucky for him and for us.”

Credit: @stevesanderstax

“Wow we’re actually getting updates on injuries instead of “yeah he’ll be back in a few weeks” and not see the player for 3 months”

Credit: @Callum0715

“Marvelous out until at least March, probably April. Real shame as he was looking very very good.”

Credit: @Lee_Jackson_92

“Such a shame. He was growing so strongly into his role this season. But all the best for a swift recovery, Marvelous – we’ll be waiting for your return with anticipation. Go well.”

Credit: @Andyphilipday

“It feels great having accurate injury news after the absolute waffle Deano used to put out”

Credit: @avfc_jf

In other news: ‘A wind up?’ – Many Villa fans flock to ’embarrassing’ official news. 

According to TottenhamTiers, there has been some transfer news out of Hotspur Way involving club chief Fabio Paratici and Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.

The Lowdown: Midfielder on the cards?

While the Lilywhites have been tipped to target a left-sided central defender as manager Antonio Conte’s top summer priority, as backed by The Athletic, there are also reports midfielders on the agenda.

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90min, for example, revealed earlier this week that Tottenham are considering a move for ex-playmaker and fan favourite Christian Eriksen – though it is unclear whether the Dane would be open to returning.

Elsewhere, Conte has apparently requested the signing of Juventus ace and USA international Weston McKennie (La Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness).

These rumours potentially back the club’s intention to improve Spurs’ depth in the middle of the park as news now comes to light involving Foxes star Tielemans.

The Latest: Paratici earmarks ‘cut price’ move…

According to TottenhamTiers, Paratici has personally ‘earmarked’ Tielemans, alongside Eriksen, to ‘potentially join Spurs’ for a ‘cut-price’ fee this summer.

The Belgium international is entering the final year of his King Power Stadium contract and is said to be in ‘high-demand’ with Tottenham set to compete for his signature.

The Verdict: Time to bid?

Tielemans, a proven Premier League playmaker, would inject real creativity into Conte’s midfield, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola even calling the 24-year-old a ‘top, top class player’.

On a reported £120,000-per-week, he wouldn’t exactly break Tottenham’s wage structure, with the only obstacle being just how much Leicester could demand this summer.

The latest reports suggest Tielemans could cost a cut price somewhere in and around the £25 million mark (The Telegraph) due to his contract situation.

This fee suddenly makes his signing far more realistic at Tottenham and we believe it is little surprise Paratici has now earmarked him as a summer target.

Tielemans may well be one to watch out for with the window fast approaching.

In other news: Tottenham official sent to club as Paratici also eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Antonio Conte is reportedly now strongly interested in signing Nahitan Nandez for Tottenham Hotspur once the January transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Conte knows him well

Nandez is a player that Conte will know well from his time in the Serie A, where the Uruguay international has managed to score four goals and make a further nine assists in 88 games in total over all competitions for Cagliari over the last three seasons (both of the meetings between Cagliari and Conte’s Inter last term.

With claims that Giovani Lo Celso could leave Spurs next month, added to the fact that they have been linked with midfielders like Franck Kessie in recent days, it is no surprise to see Nandez as a player that they would also be interested in, should he be allowed to leave Sardinia of course.

The Latest: Strong interest

As per Calciomercato, there is now ‘strong interest’ from Conte and the Lilywhites in Nandez, as well as from Inter.

However, Cagliari do not want to let him go, and he currently has a release clause of €36m (£30.3m), although it is thought that that price could be negotiated down.

The Verdict: Lo Celso replacement

If Lo Celso were to leave the Tottenham Hotspur stadium next month, then Nandez would be the perfect replacement for him.

Just one year older than the Argentine at 26, he has averaged more key passes (1.1), dribbles (1,5), crosses (0.6) and long balls (1.9) in their respective domestic leagues so far this season, on top of his two assists (WhoScored).

Serie A experts think very highly of him, including journalist Mina Rzouki, who even went as far as to claim that he was ‘unstoppable’ back in May, while Conor Clancy likened him to a ‘machine’ and described him as ‘powerful’ despite his small stature (This is Futbol).

Nonetheless, Nandez would certainly be a smart addition to Conte’s squad for the right price.

In other news, find out who THFC’s three worst players were against Southampton here!

Given the catastrophic season that Everton have had under the managerial guidance of Rafa Benitez with just five Premier League wins under their belt from a possible 19, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him sacked from the club, especially after losing 2-1 against relegation strugglers Norwich City in their latest league outing.

Since then, Everton have made the decision to appoint Duncan Ferguson as their caretaker boss for the time being as they begin yet another search for a potential manager.

With there still being some time left until the current January transfer window closes, Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri could use this time to not only search for a suitable long-term manager to take the reins at Goodison Park but also to bring some new players to the club to help Ferguson get their season back on track and give the fans something to shout about positively.

One player the Merseyside club could look to bring in that would certainly get a lot of people talking is Real Madrid and former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has recently been mentioned with a move back to the Premier League by reports in Spain, specifically with Everton and Newcastle United interested in taking the Belgian.

During his time with Chelsea, Hazard managed to score 110 goals and provide 92 assists in 352 appearances across all competitions with 245 of those appearances and 85 of those goals coming in the Premier League, highlighting the sort of experience that he’d be able to bring to Everton this month.

In addition to this, with the 31-year-old, who was previously labelled as a “superstar” by Jamie Carragher, having won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup during his spell with the west London club, he would also bring a winning mentality to Goodison Park if he were to make a move there.

Considering their lack of wins in the league this season, this is something that Everton could seriously do with at the moment and something that Ferguson would love to have in his squad as he looks to bring a bit of stability to the club and end the season as strong as possible.

Moving forward, if a move for Hazard would be financially viable for the Toffees this month, this is something that they should definitely consider doing to see if he can have a positive impact on the team going forward.

In other news: Offer made: Everton in talks with 48 y/o “gentleman”, Moshiri is taking a massive risk – opinion

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Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter in annoyance, after The Mirror revealed that Ben Osborn could be involved in a swap deal that would see James McClean team up with Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane once again in a move to The City Ground.

O’Neill is hoping to sign the 29-year-old whom he managed whilst as manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, as per The Mirror, where McClean arguably played some of his best football.

Osborn, however, came through the academy at the City Ground and has made over 200 appearances for the Reds, as per Transfermarkt, becoming somewhat of a fans’ favourite during that time as a result. The 24-year-old can also be used as a full-back as well as on the wing, so his versatility is especially useful to Forest.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

As a result of the aforementioned facts, fans of the play-off chasers are livid that he could potentially leave the club, if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Manchester United’s problems appear to be mounting by the second at this moment in time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure seems destined for an unsavoury ending.

The Norwegian tactician has come under intense pressure in recent weeks as United have continued to put in underwhelming performances, and Sunday’s humiliating 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool may have served as his final warning.

However, if Solskjaer manages to turn things around at Old Trafford, then there could be a bright future ahead for the 20-time English champions.

Although major doubts remain over the 48-year-old’s ability to guide the 20-time English champions to major silverware, there’s no questioning his eye for a talented youngster and willingness to reward him with an opportunity in the first team.

And 20-year-old full-back Ethan Laird could be the next academy graduate to benefit from the Scandinavian’s bravery if he remains in the United hot seat.

The youngster rose through the ranks at his boyhood club before experiencing senior football for the first time last season, joining MK Dons on a short-term loan spell back in January.

Laird impressed throughout his 24 League One appearances for the Dons, providing four assists and catching the eye of captain Dean Lewington.

Lewington spoke to MK Citizen about Laird, saying: “It’s a different dynamic on the right. It’s a bit more direct with Ethan, using his raw pace. I’m still getting used to playing with him, but it’s working pretty well.

“He just needed a bit of encouragement and the freedom to express himself. I try and do as much of his defensive duties as I can to help him express himself.

“He’s really improved since he first came here, he’s come on leaps and bounds. It’s just a shame we won’t get to keep him,” the experienced campaigner concluded.

And Laird has carried his solid form over into the Championship this season after joining Swansea City for the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign.

As per SofaScore, the former England Under-19 international has already created four big chances for his teammates, averaged 1.4 key passes per game, 2.2 successful dribbles and 1.7 tackles, highlighting his effective displays in south Wales.

United’s desire for a more attack-minded upgrade on Aaron Wan-Bissaka was an open secret over the summer, with Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier their no.1 target.

A deal couldn’t be reached between the two clubs, though, and with Trippier now 31 years old, Solskjaer may turn his attention to a young prodigy already within United’s ranks over the coming months.

And, in other news, Report reveals concerning update over “quality” Man Utd maestro, fans may be worried…

Liverpool are still without midfielder Curtis Jones ahead of this weekend’s trip to Wolves. 

Neil Jones, the club’s correspondent for Goal, wrote on his Facebook page that the 20-year-old still needs to ‘be patient and wait for his eye issue to fully clear up’.

Jones hasn’t featured for the Reds since the 2-2 draw with Brighton on 30 October. He was on a run of four starts in five Premier League matches before he sustained the issue.

The midfielder joins Roberto Firmino on the team’s injury list in a period of the season which sees them play nine games in 31 days.

Better LFC injury news elsewhere

The journalist reported that the Brazil striker may return to the grass at the AXA Training Centre next week, but wasn’t so optimistic about the English midfielder.

Joe Gomez and Naby Keita are further down the line in their respective recoveries, having returned to training in recent days.

Twitter fan feed Anfield Edition relayed Jones’ fitness update, and here’s what some supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans bemoan Jones’ continued absence

“Still don’t understand how he did that to his eye. Definitely need more details…”

Credit: @seyjith

“That must’ve been one bad eye injury”

Credit: @Kieran_Reid99

“What happened to his eye?”

Credit: @Kiels695

“Unbelievable that is”

Credit: @Royston679

“How can Firmino play with a pirate patch and CJ can’t ?”

Credit: @thebigguy86

“Who sparked him? I need to know”

Credit: @_LFConnor_

In other news, a number of Reds fans erupted over this transfer update

Brennan Johnson features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Allan Saint-Maximin, The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports. 

The lowdown

Saint-Maximin, Jones writes, is expected to leave St James’ Park when the summer transfer window opens. The Magpies will then reinvest the funds from his exit into their planned ‘rebuild’.

Johnson is only under contract for another 14 months with Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest.

Aged just 20, the Wales international has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 39 league appearances this season.

The latest

Newcastle officials, led by Steve Nickson, have already ‘compiled reports’ on Johnson as they run the rule over potential additions on the flanks.

However, Jones does caution that the club will face ‘fierce’ competition for his signature.

Another player on their radar is Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby, but he too is highly coveted.

The verdict

It’s no surprise that a multitude of clubs are interested in Johnson. He’s Forest’s top scorer and he ranks joint-eighth overall in the Championship goal charts, despite being a winger rather than an out and out forward.

As for assists, he’s second for Steve Cooper’s side (behind Philip Zinckernagel) and again in the top ten for the division as a whole.

To put those figures into perspective, as of April 9, he boasts at least eight more goal involvements than any other player aged 21 or under in England’s top four tiers.

He’s already earned nine senior caps for his country and will hope to feature at the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year if Wales secure qualification.

Johnson, who’s been mentored by David Beckham, has inevitably earned some reviews. For instance, the ‘old-fashioned winger’ was dubbed a ‘beautiful footballer’ and a ‘super, super talent’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting. Newcastle should be delighted if they win the race.

In other news, Keith Downie has an update on Eddie Howe.

One of Sunderland’s pieces of January business failed miserably earlier this month as Jermain Defoe announced his retirement from football.

The striker joined the club to bolster their attacking options for the second half of the campaign and has now decided to hang up his boots earlier than expected.

Whilst this is disappointing for the Black Cats and means that he was a wasted signing, the club did pull off at least one brilliant acquisition in January…

Masterclass on Clarke

Kristjaan Speakman pulled off a masterclass as he sealed a dream deal to sign Jack Clarke on loan from Premier League giants Tottenham.

The winger, who Spurs signed for £10m from Leeds in 2019, arrived at the Stadium of Light on loan until the end of the season on the 26th of January.

Ex-Black Cats boss Lee Johnson explained the signing by saying: “The competition for places in our final third is strong and we want to be able to change games as we move into the back end of the season. Jack understands that this is a big club with a lot to play for, but he wants to be an influential player for us and help to ensure we have a successful end to the season.”

Clarke has lived up to the hype so far, albeit under Alex Neil now instead of Johnson, as he has been in impressive form in League One since his arrival. He has an uncanny ability to create space for himself out wide and his play on the ball has been a joy for fans to watch.

Former Premier League forward Noel Whelan previously showered the young forward with praise saying:

“He has got a great ability to glide past players. I don’t think I’ve seen a winger really as talented as that, where it looks effortless, just to take somebody on and he really does get you on the edge of your seat, he’s one of those exciting players.”

In 11 third-tier outings for the club, the ex-Leeds man has created 1.4 chances and completed 1.1 dribbles per game for the Black Cats. This proves that he has the quality, as Whelan explained, to take the ball past opposition players to excite fans and create opportunities in the final third, for both himself and his teammates.

He has also chipped in with one goal to go along with his chance creation, whilst completing 79% of his attempted passes and making 1.2 tackles and interceptions per game. His average SofaScore rating of 6.98 also proves that he has been consistently delivering strong displays as he has maintained a high standard since coming through the door.

Therefore, Speakman pulled off a masterclass by being able to snatch up the winger on loan from a Premier League team in January and it is proving to be a dream deal for the club as it stands.

AND in other news,  Forget Defoe: Sunderland must now swoop for teen prodigy with 21 goals in 13 games…