Aston Villa
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Palace: Smith to make two changes, 25-yr-old to start
Aston Villa travel to Crystal Palace in the Premier League later today and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways. Villa are in mediocre form right now and they have failed to win five of their last six Premier League games. Dean Smith will demand a strong performance from his players and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out all three points against a vulnerable Crystal Palace side. The Eagles are coming into this game from the back of four losses in their last five League games and they will have to improve a lot in order to get a good result here. The last time these two sides met, Villa managed to pick up a 3-0 win at home and they will be hoping to complete a league double over the London side today. Villa have picked up a clean sheet in five of the last seven g...
Thomas Tuchel reacts as ‘unlucky’ Chelsea suffer back-to-back FA Cup final defeats
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
Leeds recall key duo, Spurs defender out, Toffees sweating on playmaker’s fitness
The 36th round of fixtures in the Premier League features some vital matches at the top end of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The action got underway on Friday evening, with Manchester City winning 4-3 at Newcastle United – Ferran Torres (3) and Joao Cancelo got their goals. Leeds United demolished Burnley 4-0 at Turf Moor in the early kick-off on Saturday – Rodrigo (2), Mateusz Klich and Jack Harrison were on the scoresheet. Southampton vs Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion vs West Ham United completes the Saturday line-up. There are four games on Sunday, three of which could have a major bearing on who qualifies for Europe this season. Liverpool have a golden opportunity to move j...
Aston Villa ace turns down contract offer, set to join another PL side this summer
Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton is thought to be keen on a move to Manchester United this summer. According to Football Insider, the 35-year-old goalkeeper has been offered a new contract by the West Midlands club but he has chosen to turn it down. Apparently, Heaton has a verbal agreement to join Manchester United at the end of this season. The Red Devils are believed to have offered him a player-coach role. The 35-year-old has struggled for regular game time at Villa Park since the signing of Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal at the start of the season. The Argentine goalkeeper has been outstanding for Aston Villa this season and he has helped them keep 15 clean sheets in the League. Heaton is unlikely to get regular game time at Old Trafford either especially with the likes of Dean Hende...
‘Absolute stinker’, ‘Having a great game for Everton’ – Some Villa fans slam 27-yr-old’s display
Aston Villa were held to a goalless draw against Everton in the Premier League yesterday, and midfielder Ross Barkley had his final opportunity to impress at Villa Park. The 27-year-old will not be able to play against his parent club Chelsea in the next home game due to the terms of his loan deal. Despite making an impressive start to the season, the midfielder’s time at Villa Park will be deemed as a massive disappointment. A return of three goals and one assist in 26 league appearances is a woeful tally for a player of Barkley’s ability. He has been way too inconsistent, and the Villa fans will be delighted that he is returning to Chelsea this summer. During Jack Grealish’s absence, the on-loan Chelsea midfielder was expected to step up as the side’s main creator, but he has been thorou...
‘Prowess of Yaya Toure’, ‘Yaya esque’ – Some AVFC fans react to links with Everton target
Aston Villa have been linked with Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa ahead of the summer transfer window. The defensive powerhouse is set to leave Craven Cottage at the end of the campaign after their relegation to the Championship, and there would not be shortage of suitors for his signature. Arsenal and Everton are also keen on Anguissa who has proven himself as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the bottom half of the table, and more clubs will likely join them and Villa in the coming weeks. Dean Smith’s side could do with more verve in the middle of the park, and the Cameroonian definitely has what it takes to be a quality addition to the squad. Villa fans would be pleased to have Anguissa at their club next season, and here is how some of them have reacted to the links on T...
Premier League duo join Everton in pursuit of Andre-Frank Anguissa
Premier League duo Arsenal and Aston Villa have joined Everton in tracking Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa, who could be available this summer. The Cameroon international has played 33 games during the campaign, impressing in both offensive and defensive phases of play. Everton were recently linked with a move for Anguissa, with the Mirror suggested that Carlo Ancelotti was considering a move for the midfielder. The Mail have now backed that up in a separate report but have also suggested that Arsenal and Aston Villa are monitoring Anguissa’s situation. It is said that Everton would need to sell before purchasing Anguissa, which could give their rivals the upper hand. It is also claimed that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to play a double defensive midfield p...
How one point from five key games killed Fulham’s hopes of survival
Following a 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley, Fulham’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. The euphoria of August’s play-off final victory over local rivals Brentford seems like a distant memory, having sat in the relegation zone for all but four weeks of the season. Their failure to convert draws into wins has cost them dearly. They have the joint-fewest victories in the league this season with five, while only Brighton & Hove Albion can outdo their 12 draws. Here are five crucial games in Fulham’s season. Fulham 0-3 Aston Villa Grealish strikes early to give Fulham the lead It was a worrying start for Scott Parker’s side, who had lost their opening two games against Arsenal and Leeds United, conceding seven goals in the process. Perhaps the last thing they needed was a vis...
England international reportedly on verge of leaving Aston Villa for Man Utd
Manchester United are edging close to signing Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton on a free transfer this summer, according to The Telegraph. The Red Devils will be without Sergio Romero at the end of the season, and they have identified the England international as a replacement. Heaton has not featured for Villa since January 2020, with an anterior cruciate ligament injury keeping him on the sidelines and treatment table until last December. The 35-year-old has since lost his spot in Dean Smith’s starting XI to Emiliano Martinez as a result, and he is not keen on playing second fiddle to him. The two-year deal Heaton was offered when he joined Villa from Burnley in the summer of 2019 expires at the end of this season, and while the club would love to hand him an extension, an exit is now o...
£5m Hammers defender & £17m Villa star make Jamie Carragher’s TOTY
Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has included Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and West Ham United right-back Vladimir Coufal in his Premier League Team of the Year. The duo have been impressive for their respective teams since joining them last summer, and they have played key roles in helping to improve their fortunes on the pitch. Coufal joined West Ham from Slavia Prague for £5 million and has featured in 31 Premier League games thus far, contributing six assists. The 28-year-old is having an impressive debut season in the English top-flight, and he is one of the reasons why the Hammers are pushing for Europe. Arsenal are probably still ruing letting Martinez join Villa for just £17 million in the summer as he inspired the Midlands outfit to Premier L...
Report: West Ham have come up with an exciting plan to sign £40m Villa target
West Ham United are hopeful of securing a loan deal for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham in the summer transfer window. Chelsea are looking to offload Abraham, who has struggled for regular game time under Thomas Tuchel. The Blues are reportedly demanding a fee in the region of £40 million for the 23-year-old. West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are interested in signing Abraham, according to reports from The Athletic. It has been reported that the Magpies and Villa are unwilling to meet Chelsea’s asking price. West Ham will bid to sign the striker on loan, and they are quite hopeful of securing a deal for him. Abraham impressed on his loan spell at Villa, and it will be interesting to see if they move for him this summer. The England striker has made 12 starts in the Premie...
David Moyes lashes out at Premier League chiefs over Manchester United decision
David Moyes fears West Ham’s slim hopes of Champions League football could be affected further by Manchester United forced to field weakened teams. The Hammers boss – whose men were beaten by Everton – has called on the Premier League to explain the questions surrounding the integrity of the competition being affected with United’s 3-1 win at Aston Villa their first of three games in five games. Reds boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is set to dip into his squad to face the Hammers’ top-four rivals Leicester on Tuesday after sealing a top four place. Moyes said: “The Premier League should be answering these questions and tell us why this is the case. “There was an awful lot of integrity needed to get the Premier League back up and running during the pandemic. ‘Ole can do what he likes. Its his tea...
