Jamie Carragher sparked a furore with his dig at Arsenal’s celebrations after their win over Liverpool, with Ian Wright and Piers Morgan responding.
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Aston Villa have “stalled” in talks to sign Sevilla defender Marcos Acuna, but a reliable journalist has revealed that a deal has not yet completely been ruled out.
What position does Marcos Acuna play?
Acuna is primarily a left-back who has plied his trade at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium since 2020 having moved there from Sporting CP, and last season, he was a standout star during his 21 La Liga starts under Jose Luis Mendilibar.
The Argentina international firmly established himself as the Spanish outfit’s overall second top-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.78, so despite still having another two years remaining on his contract, there’s a chance he could be on the move having caught the eye of Unai Emery in the Midlands.
According to reports, NSWE have already held contact with all parties regarding a swoop for the 31-year-old, with The Telegraph’s John Percy confirming that a deal is being worked on.
Football Insider later shared that the veteran had agreed personal terms over a move to the Premier League, and even though talks had continued, a switch might not be as advanced as initially imagined.
Are Aston Villa signing Marcos Acuna?
Taking to X, Rudy Galetti revealed that Aston Villa have been paused in their approach for Acuna by Sevilla who are now having second thoughts over letting him leave for the top-flight in England in a setback for Emery and Villa.
“Talks between #AstonVilla and #Sevilla for Marcos #Acuna is stalled in this moment. The [Spanish] club is not so convinced to let the [Argentina] player go: internal evaluations in progress to decide if stay in the negotiation or definitely close the door.”
Aston Villa having to halt their pursuit of Acuna will come as a setback to Emery, but with the defender having been hailed a “star man” by journalist Josh Bunting, the boss shouldn’t give up on his goal of reaching an agreement before the transfer deadline on September 1st.
The Zapala native, who is naturally left-footed, last season won 36 out of his 57 tackles made in La Liga which was the highest success rate throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, so loves to get stuck into challenges, but he’s also capable of making a positive impact at the opposite end of the pitch.
Read The Latest Aston Villa Transfer News HERE…
Sevilla’s £47k-per-week earner clocked up seven goal contributions (four assists and three goals) across all competitions and whipped 147 crosses into the opposition’s box, again more than any of his fellow teammates, representing his desire to create chances in the final third.
Finally, Acuna, who has the versatility to operate in seven different positions over the grass, already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the top level having secured seven trophies for both club and country since the start of his career, including the 2022 World Cup, so he would be able to match the winning mentality of the squad at Villa Park, but by the looks of things, a move to England isn't guaranteed at this moment in time.
International T20 should be the pinnacle of the format, not domestic leagues, according to Jos Buttler who does not endorse the view of England coach Trevor Bayliss that T20Is be restricted to a period around World T20 events. However, he added his voice to the growing calls that something needs to be done about the scheduling to ensure all three formats can co-exist at the top level.Two of his team-mates, Alex Hales and Adil Rashid, have recently halted their first-class careers to focus on the white ball and Buttler admitted the thought of similar had occasionally crossed his mind. For now he will keep his options open and sees a window to return to Championship cricket for Lancashire at the backend of the 2018 English season.In so many ways, Buttler is the template of the modern cricketer: forging his name in the white-ball formats, and spending months on the road even though he doesn’t feature in the Test team. He has been away since the end of October, starting in the Bangladesh Premier League, into the Big Bash and now England duty. He will have a couple of weeks at home before the IPL which runs until late May. The leagues are all his choice, so there may not be vast sympathy from some, but for in-demand players the schedule is unrelenting.Bayliss’ suggestion, put forward after the T20 tri-series where England failed to impress, was for the shortest format to be largely left to domestic structures but Buttler, who earlier this month told Sky Sports that he could see cricket being a one-format game in 20 years, remains a country over club man.”I wouldn’t be a fan of that. I don’t think that’s the right way to go,” he said. “I think T20 cricket is so strong, then surely the pinnacle – as it would be for guys wanting to play Test match cricket – should be playing for your international side.”I think for a professional cricketer, in any form of the game, your aspirations are always to represent your country.”Jos Buttler drills one down the ground•Getty Images
Endorsing the international T20 game further, Buttler added that the format deserves more than one-off matches tagged on to the start or end of a tour. The game is heading that way, with the recent tri-series attempting to bring more meaning to the games, while the number of three-match series are increasing.”Some tours where there have been three and three [T20s and ODIs] have been a really enjoyable split from the players’ point of view, it gives both formats relevance and competition. If you’re just going to play one T20 thrown on the end, it almost doesn’t seem like there’s much on it or much point to it.”Buttler said he still valued the five-match ODI series but did agree that something has to give if the game wants to stop players opting out of a format – although he suggested that the one to make way should not always have to be first-class or Test cricket. Earlier this week, Eoin Morgan said the only way Test cricket would survive would be if the money on offer matches that available in T20 leagues around the world.”There’s nothing wrong with people being Test match specialists either,” Buttler said. “There is no reason why a young player couldn’t say ‘I am going focus all my ambitions and efforts to be a Test match cricketer’.”I think it comes down a little bit to what you’re trying to get from the game and how you see yourself fitting into it. It may not be possible to do all three, but there’s no reason why people can’t specialise in red-ball cricket as well as white-ball.”For those that want to play all three formats, the game is already asking too much. “There aren’t many people around the world who are capable of doing it,” he said. “In England, we have three or four, but obviously, with all the cricket and scheduling, they don’t play every single game of every format, because it’s probably not quite possible. It’s not an easy thing to do, and that’s why the guys who do it are the best players.”On his own Test ambitions, which Buttler has repeatedly said remain intact albeit distant at the moment, he replied “maybe” when asked if not adding to his 18 caps would leave him unfulfilled but has reminded himself of the 18 matches he has played.”I don’t want to have too many regrets. I’m obviously very fortunate to have played Test cricket at all,” he said. “I was thinking about it the other day – that one thing you’d want to get out of a Test career would be winning an Ashes series in England.”Not that I performed very well. But I’m lucky enough to have that, and no one will ever take that away from me. You’re always desperate to do as well as you can, and fulfil your promise and potential as much as you can. But I won’t lose any sleep over it.”
To say that Liverpool have had a turbulent summer would be an understatement. The Reds started off well in the summer transfer window, welcoming both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to begin their much-needed midfield rebuild.
Since then, however, things have only gone downhill, as they missed out on key targets. Now, as the window edges closer and closer to closing, Jurgen Klopp and co have reportedly turned their attention to Feyenoord for options.
What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?
Of course, if you cast your mind back, after their strong start to the window, Liverpool said their goodbyes to both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, as they duo swapped Merseyside for Saudi Arabia. Now, this wouldn't have been an issue if they had replacements instantly lined up.
That was far from the case, though, and with the Premier League season underway, the only incoming since Mac Allister and Szoboszlai has been Wataru Endo, following the rejection of both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who chose Chelsea over Liverpool this summer.
On top of their midfield crisis, it could be argued that the Reds need another central defender this summer, given Joel Matip's injury combined with the fact that he has one year remaining on his current contract.
With that said, according to Football Transfers, Liverpool have turned to Feyenoord to solve both of their issues, with the Premier League giants reportedly in contact with both David Hancko and Mats Wieffer over potential summer switches.
Appearing on ESPN's Football Talk, Hans Kraay junior recently spoke about the potential deal for Hancko, in particular, saying, via Football Transfers: "Do all those Premier League clubs send half-blind scouts to the Netherlands? Hancko is worth £35/40 million for almost every team, isn't he?"
As things stand, Feyenoord are yet to set their price, but it certainly seems as though it would cost Liverpool a hefty fee as the transfer window comes to a close.
Should Liverpool sign Hancko and Wieffer?
Given their problems in both central defence and midfield, welcoming both Hancko and Wiffer could be an act of genius from Liverpool.
Hancko, a centre-back, is still only 25-years-old and should, therefore, be in the middle of his prime in the Netherlands. The Slovakian played a key part in Feyenoord's title-winning campaign last time out, even enjoying nine goal involvements from the back.
Meanwhile, Wieffer – a defensive midfielder by trade – is only 23-years-old, and played an equally impressive part in Feyenoord's title win last season, scoring three goals, whilst also assisting a further seven in all competitions.
Compared to recent Liverpool signing Endo last season, as per FBref, Wieffer made more progressive passes, more progressive carries, better pass completion, and made more blocks, interceptions, and tackles per 90. Any way that you look at it, Wieffer would be the option to strengthen Klopp's midfield.
Hancko is just as impressive, too, making more progressive passes, winning more tackles, and making fewer errors per 90 than Joel Matip last season.
If Liverpool do push ahead with deals for the Feyenoord duo, it would represent solid business.
Crystal Palace have made a strong start to their Premier League campaign, defeating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and despite tasting a narrow loss against Arsenal, followed that up with a respectable point at Brentford and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wolves.
For their strong start to the season, the Eagles have soared up the league table without significantly strengthening in the transfer window compared to their rivals.
Who did Crystal Palace sign this summer?
Making four acquisitions for a combined cost of £32m, it's fair to say that the purse strings have been tight at Selhurst Park this summer having ended the window without a direct replacement for Wilfred Zaha.
Although Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are more than capable of shouldering the weight of goal contributions in his absence, the lack of ambition shown in this window was underwhelming to say the least.
Palace brought in attacking midfielder Matheus Franca, box-to-box midfielder Jefferson Lerma, goalkeeper Dean Henderson and lastly, centre-back Rob Holding.
For all of his top-flight experience at Arsenal, it was the latter of those signings who raised the most eyebrows and that isn't surprising given his career has gone on a downward spiral recently.
How many games did Rob Holding play for Arsenal?
In his seven-year stay at Arsenal, Holding made 162 appearances and scored five goals but has never really shown the ability to become a regular starter for the Gunners.
He was frozen out for the majority of last season, until star defender William Saliba sustained an injury in April and the Englishman was entrusted into the starting XI, going on to make seven starts in the last month of the season.
Despite scoring a consolation in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester City, Holding has struggled to become the ball-playing defender that Mikel Arteta desires, ultimately leaving him surplus to requirements.
During the Gunner's London derby defeat against Tottenham in May, which was a result that handed Man City the initiative in the title race, Holding's reckless sending off for making two silly fouls cost his team in their biggest match of the season.
After the game, many pundits heavily criticised Holding as Jamie Redknapp made his thoughts known on Sky Sports.
He said: "'That's a silly thing, he's doing judo moves on the football field. Then he gets caught again, and it becomes an accumulation."
With Holding enduring a reckless end to his Arsenal career, a fresh start in the Premier League is what he needed and got, but it still begs the question as to why Palace didn't take up their interest in fellow Gunner Takehiro Tomiyasu, who would have been a huge upgrade on the Englishman.
How good is Takehiro Tomiyasu?
According to a Daily Mail report in late August, Palace were showing an interest in signing Tomiyasu but following the injury to Jurrien Timber, Arsenal were reluctant to sell the Japan international.
Since joining the club from Bologna two years ago, the £55k per-week "warrior" – as he was once lauded by former teammate Mitchell Dijks – has gone on to make 56 appearances under Arteta and during the 21/22 season, Tomiyasu made 20 Premier League starts. He was impressive during that spell, averaging an impressive 1.7 tackles per game, completing 60% of his dribbles and winning 55% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
However, after a promising debut season, his second term was hampered by separate knee and calf problems, making only 21 appearances in the top flight with the majority of those coming from the bench.
Despite this, the 33-cap titan has still been highly regarded by many during his time at north London with Martin Keown waxing lyrical about his performance against PSV in the Europa League last season, saying:
“Tomiyasu is probably Arsenal’s best out-and-out defender, in a one-on-one situation. Look at how dominant he is in the air. He’s a big boy actually. They have dealt with that problem [of Gakpo] really well,” he told BT Sport.
Keown's comments are supported by Tomiyasu's defensive and attacking metrics, ranking highly when compared against his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for the former of those. He places in the top 10% for tackles per 90, top 19% for interceptions per 90 and top 1% for aerial duels won per 90, via FBref.
While his defensive capabilities shine through, his ability to progress the ball up the field is second to none, ranking in the top 8% for passes completed and the best 1% for progressive carries.
In a Crystal Palace team that has to do a lot of defending, Tomiyasu would excel at both winning possession back and being proactive with it, unlike Holding, who falls well below his former teammate for those aspects of his game.
During the last 365 days, Holding has only recorded one tackle per 90, 0.69 interceptions per 90 while falling lower for progressive passes than Tomiyasu (4.37/7.76) and progressive carries (0.54/2.00).
When being tasked to defend, the 27-year-old has fallen well short in the past year and will find it difficult to dislodge Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, who are forming an indispensable partnership at the heart of the Eagles' defence. Indeed, the former has played so well over the last year that he's now in and around the England squad, even being touted at an eye-watering £50m during the summer window.
Although Holding and Tomiyasu predominantly play different positions across the back line, the defensive solidity and dependability that the Japan international would have brought to Selhurst Park is levels ahead of the declining Englishman. After all, the latter does present you with more versatility too, boasting the ability to play in the centre-back role and on both sides as a full-back.
Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor is "really confident" Chloe Kelly will stay at the club despite speculation surrounding her future.
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Kelly linked with transfer exitContract at City runs until 2025Taylor confident she will stayWHAT HAPPENED?
The England winger has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain but City are reportedly keen to get her to extend her contract, which currently runs until 2025. And manager Taylor appeared to be relaxed about the 26-year-old's future.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT GARETH TAYLOR SAID
He said at a press conference: "I'm really confident but at the end of the day, these things happen. When players are doing well, you get these rumours that come out. How true they are, I'm not too sure and how much propaganda is involved. But we try and normalise things and make sure that the players keep their feet on the floor.
"We're on a really good run of unbeaten form, but we have to push to improve. Chloe is one of those players, she's doing well at the moment but there's a lot to come from her. With Chloe, you've got a really good personality to work with and someone who is hungry to learn."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Earlier this season, Kelly, who scored the winner for the Lionesses in the Euro 2022 final, said she wants to be "winning trophies" and City are in the hunt to do that this season. They are second in the Women's Super League, in the last four of the League Cup, and face Arsenal in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Sunday. But with PSG reportedly offering a very lucrative offer, Kelly may assess her options at the end of the current campaign.
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After Sunday's trip to Arsenal, City take on Chelsea in a top of the table clash next Friday. If they win that, they will draw level on points with Emma Hayes' team – who have won the league for four straight seasons.
Malang Sarr's friends have admitted they are worried about the defender as he is enduring a very difficult time at Chelsea.
South Africa’s last four wickets added 189 to shore up an already strong total before Australia’s new look batting line-up went on a freefall
The Report by Brydon Coverdale31-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:57
Voges: Nothing has gone right for Australia
It was a difficult day for Australia’s new-look batting order. Of course, not the kind of difficult day their old-look batting order has been having this week. But if much has changed since the Cape Town Test, South Africa’s dominance has remained the constant them. The only negative thing that could be said of South Africa on the second day was the inability of the lower order to help get Temba Bavuma his second Test ton. As low points go, that is stratospheric.The day began with South Africa on 313 for 6. They batted on, and on, and on, and posted 488, the highest total made in a Test at the Wanderers since 2003. The day finished with Australia on 110 for 6 in reply, after Vernon Philander led a strong bowling display with three wickets. Only two Australians had reached double figures and at stumps they were relying on new captain Tim Paine, who was on 5, and Pat Cummins, on 7, and avoiding the follow-on was still 179 runs away.Australia’s top order was almost unrecognisable from the corresponding group in Cape Town. Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw opened, the first time Australia had switched both openers from the previous Test since the start of the 2013 Ashes, when Chris Rogers and Shane Watson walked out first. The tour of India earlier that year had ended with David Warner and Ed Cowan as the opening pair, but Cowan had been demoted to No.3 and Warner had been suspended due to his pub fracas with Joe Root.Back then, neither Rogers nor Watson made it to 20 in the first innings; here, neither Burns nor Renshaw made double figures. On four, Burns prodded outside off to Kagiso Rabada and his edge was sharply snapped up at second slip by Faf du Plessis. Renshaw made eight before he wafted at Philander and edged behind. Both Burns and Renshaw had been batting in Brisbane on Tuesday, rushed to South Africa, and were in the Test team by Friday, and if that was perfect preparation for a Test then everyone would do it.The other batting inclusion, Peter Handscomb, has waited all series for a chance to face up in a Test, and when his opportunity finally arrived it ended quickly and with much frustration. Handscomb shaped to leave his first ball from Philander but could not get his bat out of the way, and the ball ricocheted off it and back onto his stumps for a golden duck. Handscomb simply shook his head in disbelief.Philander missed the chance of a hat-trick – Geoff Griffin in 1960 remains the only South African to have taken a Test hat-trick – but plenty more wickets were to fall. Only a 52-run stand between Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh looked like giving Australia any sort of platform. Khawaja, rounding out an all-Queensland top three, looked in good touch, but Marsh’s strokeplay seemed about as fluent as his Xhosa.Khawaja brought up his second fifty of the series from his 77th ball but lasted only a few more, brilliantly caught down the leg side by Quinton de Kock, standing up to the stumps to Philander. Marsh, who had played and missed and been struck on the pads numerous times, was put out of his misery when he edged Keshav Maharaj to slip on 16 from 74 balls. And in his final Test, Morne Morkel capped off the day by having Mitchell Marsh bowled, playing on, for four.Earlier, Morkel had been the last man out to leave Bavuma stranded on 95 as Cummins finished the South Africa innings with two wickets in two balls. Cummins ended up with 5 for 83, remarkably just his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, the other having also come at the Wanderers when he made his Test debut in 2011. Cummins wrapped up the innings by having Keshav Maharaj caught behind, slashing loosely for a career-best 45, and Morkel taken at slip for a golden duck.Bavuma and de Kock had started the day at the crease and put on 85 for the seventh wicket, moving the score along steadily for much of the morning. But on 39, de Kock tried to force one from Nathan Lyon through the leg side with a cross-bat stroke, checking his shot when the ball turned sharply, and he skied a catch to mid-on. Bavuma struck 13 boundaries and played all the shots, sweeping, reverse-sweeping, driving and cutting, and he showed his adventurous side by lofting Cummins over extra cover for a boundary.His 76-run ninth-wicket stand with Maharaj frustrated the Australians, though its end must have frustrated Bavuma. Maharaj’s innings was typically aggressive but ended in typically reckless style, and Bavuma was soon stranded. Still, compared to Australia’s long list of issues, it was a good problem to have.
Nottingham Forest are still active in the transfer market even with only a few hours left to complete new signings, and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a long-term target.
Who could Nottingham Forest sign on transfer deadline day?
According to Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Nottingham Forest are interested in signing PSV Eindhoven Ibrahim Sangare before the transfer window shuts at 11pm today.
Romano revealed on social media yesterday:
"Nottingham Forest are pushing in talks with PSV Eindhoven for Ibrahima Sangaré. Negotiations ongoing today in London.
"Sangaré out and Lozano in could be key part of the domino for Johan Bakayoko to leave PSV."
A move for Sangare could further align following the exit of Lewis O'Brien last night, as the Forest midfielder has joined Middlesbrough on a season-long loan in the Championship.
What are Ibrahim Sangare's strengths?
It is no secret that Nottingham Forest have been huge admirers of Sangare for a long time, so finally sealing his signature in the dying hours of the summer window would be an exciting prospect for the club and its supporters.
The Tricky Trees are currently 14th in the Premier League table and will be keen to compete much more comfortably this season to avoid getting caught up in another tight relegation battle at the bottom of the table and retaining their top-flight status once again.
As a result, the signing of Sangare would be a major coup for the Trentside club as the midfielder is a high-quality midfielder who boasts a diverse skill set, but is especially consistent in his defensive presence in the centre of the pitch.
Over 29 Eredivisie appearances last season, the Ivory Coast international was in red-hot form, scoring five goals, tallying up an 84% pass completion rate and successfully completing 77% of his dribbles, winning 2.3 tackles and 5.8 duels per game, as per SofaScore, proving that he is a dominant presence both in attack and defensive.
Not only that, the 25-year-old sensation ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the eight leagues most similar to the Eredivisie for progressive passes, successful take-ons, clearances and aerial duels won per 90 minutes played over the last 12 months, according to FBref.
Branded the "King of PSV" and "extraordinary" in the past by former PSV and Ajax boss Aad de Mos, Sangare has been linked with moves to some of the biggest and most successful English clubs over the last few months including PSG, Bayern and Liverpool, meaning it would indeed be quote the coup if he arrives at the City Ground today.
According to PSV journalist Rik Elfrink, Forest submitted a €35m (£30m) bid for the midfielder on Wednesday [30th August], but it remains to be seen as to whether the Dutch club will accept the offer or demand more as the clock ticks down in the final minutes and hours of the transfer window.
With that being said, it would be a no-brainer to secure Sangare's signature this summer as he could be a huge asset to Cooper's pursuit to establish Nottingham Forest as a competitive Premier League club over the season ahead and beyond.
Australia’s spearhead Mitchell Starc will need to bowl at the touring team’s main training session on Tuesday to prove his fitness for the pivotal third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. He was a notable absentee from centre wicket net practice as Australia resumed preparations at Newlands following a week’s break.While Mitchell Marsh did bowl a couple of overs at half-pace as he continued his recovery from a groin strain, a calf complaint for Starc is a concern for Australia given that he has just had numerous days to shake off any residual niggles from the first two Tests of the series in Durban and Port Elizabeth.Typically Australia’s quicks bowl at two training sessions on resumption from a break before resting on match eve, meaning Starc is behind Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in his readiness for the start of the match on Thursday. The young speedster Jhye Richardson and the more seasoned seam and swing bowler Chadd Sayers are the two reserve pace bowling options on tour.”Sometimes the bowlers just work their way into the games a little bit differently, his preparation might be a little bit different going into this game,” Cameron Bancroft said of Starc. “I think in the past, he’s bowled a couple of days out and had that third day as a bit of a rest day. Hopefully he’ll bowl [on Tuesday], I’m sure he’ll be ok.”[Cummins and Hazlewood] bowled really well, they’re first-class campaigners and the beauty of being part of this team is you get opportunities to face in the nets a lot some of the best bowlers in the world and we have them. Today they were really good out there, had a few days off so they loosened up and got into things a bit slower, but by the first couple of balls they were back into full swing at full tilt.”Starc has a history of suffering injuries that prevent him from playing every Test of a series. During the recent Ashes bout, he suffered a heel problem that ruled him out of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne before he returned for the final match in Sydney. Before that, he played only two of four Tests in India, and in 2015-16 suffered foot and ankle problems that caused him to miss a home series against West Indies followed by a tour of New Zealand.The sight of Marsh bowling, albeit conservatively, was a more encouraging sight for Australia, after his bowling value was underlined by a pair of reverse-swing wickets at St George’s Park.”He’s had four really important days off as it has been for everyone,” Bancroft said, “especially our fast bowlers who’ve spent a lot of time bowling over the past six months for us. Mitch has been working through his stuff and had a bowl. I assume he’ll pick that up leading up to the game on Thursday and I’m sure he’ll be fine.”