Lucas Digne &#8211; CaughtOffside

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

West Ham open to selling 27-year-old ace for just £12m

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

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Jose Mourinho lines up move to sign Aston Villa man

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:00:30 +0000

The 2023/24 season is still in its infancy, but that hasn’t stopped Roma from targeting some new signings, including from Premier League outfit, Aston Villa.

Villa manager, Unai Emery, and his Roma counterpart, Jose Mourinho, are old friends and adversaries, having managed against each other many times in their careers, including in Spain and England.

Whether Emery would be happy about an approach from the Special One’s new employers regarding one of his players is unlikely, though much could depend on how both teams progress during the course of the campaign.

At present, Villa are riding high in the English top-flight, and their 15 points means they’re just a win behind front runners, Man City.

By contrast, the Giallorossi are having a nightmare and have just eight points from their seven Serie A games. That’s already put them 10 behind current leaders, Inter.

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According to Il Romanista, Roma’s sporting director, Tiago Pinto, is eyeing up Villa’s marauding left-back, Lucas Digne.

It’s believed the Italians would want the Frenchman as a replacement for Leonardo Spinazzola, and the club have apparently set their sights on the 30-year-old.

He does have a history at the club of course, albeit a short one, as he was loaned to Roma back in 2015 by Paris Saint-Germain before moving on to Barcelona.

Given that he’s integral to all that Unai Emery does, it’s difficult to believe Roma would get it all their own way in negotiations, however, if the price is right you never say never in football.

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Journalist says Emery has made a complete U-turn on £25m Villa player who was set to be offloaded

Darren Looney — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:36:05 +0000

Lucas Digne looked like he was heading for the exit door at Aston Villa this summer but that never materialised and now Unai Emery has performed a complete U-turn on the French star.

The defender has started every Premier League game for Aston Villa this season in the absence of the injured Alex Moreno and has produced two assists so far for the Birmingham club. Emery has trusted Digne to fill the void left by the former Real Betis star after nearly leaving the club during the last transfer window.

The left-back, who arrived at Villa from Everton in January of 2022 in a deal worth £25m, will have to fight for his place when Moreno returns but for now, things are going well for the 30-year-old.

Dean Jones also believes that Digne will still have to fight for his place over the course of the season but hints that the left-back can become an “important member” of Emery’s side.

The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Digne will still have to fight for his place regularly. But Emery does seem to have produced a U-turn on the situation. It seemed very likely he would leave at one point in the summer. But at the end of August, Emery made it clear this was no longer on the cards, and it’s looking like now this is a player who can become an important member of the team.”

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“Great alternative” – Collymore urges Newcastle to consider ‘experienced’ Aston Villa star as transfer option

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 19 May 2023 15:45:37 +0000

With their superb 4-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side will guarantee themselves Champions League football next season with a win over Leicester City in their next Premier League fixture.

The Magpies have been an absolute joy to watch again in 2022/23, with Howe’s progressive way of understanding and playing the game fully in evidence.

Being backed by club owners the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has clearly helped the club continue to move forward, but Howe and his backroom team deserve the credit for moulding the team into what we see today.

Of course, Champions League football brings with it many challenges, not least in terms of squad strengthening.

Though Newcastle will be an easier sell to players and agents than they were 12 months ago, it still doesn’t necessarily follow that the north east giants will land all of their top targets.

To that end, CaughtOffside pundit, Stan Collymore, has suggested who Howe might want to bring in if he isn’t able to get a deal for Kieran Tierney over the line.

“In terms of who Eddie Howe should target if he misses out on Tierney, I think Lucas Digne would be a great alternative,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.

“Alex Moreno has come in at Aston Villa and has made himself Unai Emery’s first-choice left-back so you would think Digne could be a player that moves on in the summer.

“He’s a senior international that has represented France on 46 occasions so he has a wealth of experience. He’s also played for some big clubs and isn’t yet 30 years old so he could be a decent option for the Magpies to consider. Howe would certainly improve him too.”

Given Digne’s experience at Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Barcelona, the Frenchman could be a solid addition for a club that is clearly going places.

His marauding runs have become a trademark, and his accuracy in his delivery would be manna from heaven for whomever Howe decides to have as his centre-forward from next season.

Importantly, Digne knows the Premier League and at the right price, a deal for him could be a no brainer.

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Crystal Palace keen to sign ‘gem’ that Everton sold for £16m in 2019

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 16:05:29 +0000

No one can deny that Roy Hodgson has done exactly the job that he was brought in for, and, as a result, it appears that Crystal Palace will again be a Premier League team in 2023/24.

That’s something that wasn’t a forgone conclusion whilst Patrick Vieira was in charge as the Eagles hadn’t won a single game in the calendar year 2023 before the Frenchman was relieved of his duties.

Palace currently sit 12th in the English top-flight table, per the official Premier League website, and probably need just three more points to ensure their status for another season.

One more win would take them to the mythical 40-point mark, which always appears to be the number given when looking at what points are needed for Premier League safety.

Ademola Lookman

Hodgson’s excellence has seemingly allowed Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman to plan ahead a bit sooner than perhaps that would have had they not made the decision to sack Vieira.

According to 90Min, the south Londoners are interested in Ademola Lookman, who currently plies his trade with Atalanta in Serie A.

He did of course previously play for Palace’s Premier League rivals, Everton, where his former colleague, Lucas Digne, described him as a ‘gem’ on the official Everton website.

The Toffees went on to sell him for £16m per Sky Sports, and if Palace get their way, he could be making a return to England for the start of the new season.

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“Definitely an upgrade” – Collymore urges Villa to sign 25-year-old Arsenal star

Andrew Walker — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 13:32:30 +0000

Aston Villa should look to replace Lucas Digne with Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney.

That is the view of former Villa and Liverpool hitman Stan Collymore, who believes the Villians will soon be on the lookout for a new left-back and thinks Tierney would be a significant upgrade on what they currently have.

Digne, 29, has been at Villa Park since he moved from Everton a year ago, and although the Frenchman has done a decent job at the back, it remains to be seen whether or not he is in Unai Emery’s long-term plans.

As the 29-year-old is currently out injured, it is very unlikely that his future will come into question before next week’s January transfer deadline.

However, Collymore believes that the summer could present his former club with the perfect opportunity to rebuff their full-back options and has highlighted Arsenal’s Tierney as the player they should sign.

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“If it is true that the Gunners want to offload him, I really hope Aston Villa go in for him,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.

“It would make sense as well because I don’t think Lucas Digne is going to be there much longer and although the Frenchman has done alright since he joined, Tierney is definitely an upgrade.”

Collymore’s thoughts come off the back of recent reports which have suggested Tierney may be sold by the Gunners at the end of the season.

“There is this growing expectation at Arsenal right now that Kieran Tierney could move in the summer,” CBS’ James Benge said, as quoted by TalkSPORT.

“I don’t think Arsenal would push him out the exit door but now he’s not a guaranteed starter. I think if the right offer came in, all parties are kind of thinking this is something that might happen, not guaranteed.”

Villa fans, would you like to see Arsenal’s number three replace Digne? – Let us know in the comments below.

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Collymore’s column: Dyche to Everton, Antony criticism unfair, Gordon will thrive at Newcastle and which Arsenal star Villa should sign

Stan Collymore — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 13:15:56 +0000

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, Sean Dyche taking over at Everton, Antony and Jadon Sancho’s Man United struggles, which Arsenal star Aston Villa should consider signing, plus much more…

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Sean Dyche to Everton is a no-brainer…

Sean Dyche was the right choice for Everton over Marcelo Bielsa and the reason for that is simple – Bielsa went to Leeds United and was given free rein to do whatever he liked. He was this big-name, maverick manager that went to a big club that was struggling. He had a very good, young team that he could mould and he did that. But I look at the Everton squad and it’s filled with experienced senior players who have been around the block.

There is no way they’re going to respond to a manager who has them on the training ground, starting and stopping every 30 seconds to teach them new ideas, especially when they’re in a relegation battle. They need a manager to come in whose primary skill is to get the team willing to follow him into the trenches in a hugely uncertain time.

I just don’t think Bielsa is the right fit for the position the club are in. Yes, he’d make it his mission to know everything there is to know about each player, but that’s the kind of approach a club looks to take with a steady team, not one that is fighting for their lives.

As for Dyche, he has a track record of being a calming influence and he knows how to keep a lid on big egos. Managing Everton is also the biggest job of his career so he’s going to be determined to turn it around. It’s just a no-brainer. I can’t believe Bielsa was even in the running, it was such a daft idea.

Thiago Silva is holding back the next generation at Chelsea…

He’s been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers and I’m certainly not disputing how good a defender he is, but when I mentioned the other week that he should be on the Blues’ ‘to be sold’ list, what I meant by that was the club should now be looking to integrate the next generation.

I’m sure Silva can still do a job at the back, but at the age of 38, he’s very unlikely to be playing the same kind of part he is now in two or three years’ time. If they’re looking to give him an 18-month extension, fine, but it should be with a view to him transitioning into a more mentor or coaching role, to help bring through whoever is going to be the club’s long-term centre-back pairing.

I just think his presence in the first team is now starting to hinder the younger players and their development. I’d love to see a Chelsea team in two years’ time with a couple of 22-year-olds at the back and who knows, one of them could go on to be the next John Terry.

Lucas Digne out, Kieran Tierney for Aston Villa…

Recent reports have suggested that Kieran Tierney could be coming to the end of his time with Arsenal and if it is true that the Gunners want to offload him, I really hope Aston Villa go in for him.

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It would make sense as well because I don’t think Lucas Digne is going to be there much longer and although the Frenchman has done alright since he moved from Everton, Tierney would definitely be an upgrade.

Antony needs to bulk up, but criticism unfair…

It’s no secret that Antony is coming under fire for what is being perceived as a poor opening campaign with Man United, and I think that’s harsh.

I think he needs to bulk up. You often see players come to the Premier League who have all the tricks and skill but are a bit off it physically. There is no doubting his commitment and effort though. He works really hard and always tracks back. His desire to play for Man United is not up for debate in my opinion, but as well as bulking up, he needs to be a lot more direct.

When you think back to the classic young winger who had all the skill in the world but a very inconsistent final product, you think of Cristiano Ronaldo. What Ronaldo did as his career progressed was develop his directness and learned that the first objective whenever you receive the ball is to run at your full back, beat him and either take a shot at goal or create something for another teammate. Antony needs the same message drilled into him. We’ve seen the effect it can have by the way Marcus Rashford is performing. Rashford has removed the uncertainty from his game. As soon as he picks the ball up now, he doesn’t think, he just does. He either plays quick passes or runs at players toward the goal.

As for the criticism Antony received during his first few months though – it’s so premature. Let’s not forget as well, he’s Brazilian and he’s moved from the Netherlands to England. He needs time to settle in and adapt, and regardless of his price tag, that isn’t going to happen overnight, so we shouldn’t judge him too quickly.

Jadon Sancho can be a world-beater…

We need to see how he does in the first 10 games once he’s back.

I genuinely believe a fully fit, focused and firing Sancho could be the difference between United winning trophies and not winning trophies.

If you think of Sancho at his very best, he’s capable of falling into the category of being unplayable. There’s no doubt he’s a mile off his best though so it’s going to be interesting to see what Erik Ten Hag and his coaching staff are working with him on.

Sancho is actually in a very similar position to Antony – he needs the same kind of coaching – be more direct and hesitate less, and I think out of the two if in 12 months’ time, they’re both still underperforming and I was Ten Hag, although I like Antony, I’d stick with Sancho.

I’m not saying Sancho is irreplaceable, but considering what we know he’s capable of, I’d be prepared to give him all the time he needs to get back to his brilliant best because he can be one of the best wingers in the country.

Newcastle United is the perfect fit for Anthony Gordon…

If he’s missing training and trying to force through a move to Newcastle United, he shouldn’t be doing that. But unfortunately, most players do it and it always comes down to pure greed.

When I was a player, in order to get a move, a player would have to hand in a transfer request, but by doing that they would forfeit a portion of their earnings from their current club and get it back from their new club, but by not handing in an official request and allowing your actions to speak for you, a player is able to get both a loyalty fee and a new signing on fee. It’s a horrible approach but one Gordon is not alone in taking.

As for the actual transfer itself – I think it’d be a great deal for all parties. Everton needs the money, Newcastle needs quality-in-depth and Gordon needs a feel-good atmosphere in order to thrive.

I’m glad talk of him moving to Chelsea has died down because if he went to Stamford Bridge, I’d worry he’d become a kind of Ross Barley figure – permanently on the periphery and never really fulfilling his potential. Newcastle United, on the other hand, would be the ideal place for him.

Working under Eddie Howe would mean his best attributes are allowed to shine. He’s hard-working, he’s exceptionally quick and similarly to what I was saying that Antony and Sancho need to do at Man United, Gordon is really direct and is always looking to get in his opponent’s box.

If he did end up joining the Magpies, he’d offer them an element of variety too. The likes of Joelinton could then drop back into midfield and that would allow Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff to be rotated. They’ve also got Allan Saint-Maxmin, who I know has been linked with AC Milan recently, but having quality-in-depth and multiple options is definitely something Newcastle need so I wouldn’t be too quick to assume that if they got Gordon, it’d mean someone is automatically going to be sacrificed.

The post Collymore’s column: Dyche to Everton, Antony criticism unfair, Gordon will thrive at Newcastle and which Arsenal star Villa should sign appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Premier League team of the week: Just one Arsenal player despite win at Chelsea, Liverpool duo in after beating Spurs

Mark Brus — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 09:17:34 +0000

The latest Premier League team of the week on the BBC is in, with Garth Crooks somewhat surprisingly picking only one Arsenal player despite their hugely impressive 1-0 win away at Chelsea that kept them top of the Premier League.

The Gunners made a real statement with their victory at Stamford Bridge, but this week’s team of the week on BBC Sport only had William Saliba in the line up, when there was surely a decent shout for the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey as well.

Liverpool also enjoyed a big win as they beat Tottenham 2-1 away from home, and so it’s not too surprising to see both Mohamed Salah and Alisson making Crooks’ XI.

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Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is another big name in the team, in what almost seems like a guaranteed weekly spot at the moment, while James Maddison will be doing his England chances no harm at all as he continues his fine form for Leicester City.

Lucas Digne, Wilfried Zaha and Adam Lallana are among the other big names to make the team of the week.

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Video: Unai Emery era gets off to a flyer as Aston Villa strike twice in 10 minutes against Man United

Matthew Smith — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 14:20:45 +0000

The Unai Emery era got off to a flyer as Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne struck twice in ten minutes to give Villa the lead against Manchester United.

After Steven Gerrard was recently sacked, Aston Villa poached Emery from Villarreal, and his tenure got off to a dream start against Manchester United.

Bailey latched onto a through ball from Jacob Ramsay before dispatching past David De Gea. Shortly after, Lucas Digne expertly placed a free-kick beyond the goalkeeper, giving Villa a two-goal lead within ten minutes.

Pictures below from Star Sports Select, Canal+Foot and Bein Sports.

What a goal, Digne! pic.twitter.com/RGZW0rh6ki

— Ayush Sureka (@SurekaAyush) November 6, 2022

Lucas Digne qui se la joue comme Beckham ?

(? @CanalplusFoot) pic.twitter.com/k4bDu77hBs

— Instant Foot ?? (@lnstantFoot) November 6, 2022

GOAL! Leon Bailey Lucas Digne #AstonVilla 1-0 Manchester United#AVFC | #AVLMUN pic.twitter.com/zfmMP0bskl

— Anonymous (@messi_anonymous) November 6, 2022

OMG LEON BAILEY 1-0 VILLA ?pic.twitter.com/2vpRMClIsU

— Stav ?? (@stavfps) November 6, 2022

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The post Video: Unai Emery era gets off to a flyer as Aston Villa strike twice in 10 minutes against Man United appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Steven Gerrard hit with another injury to key Aston Villa player

Darren Looney — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 19:17:52 +0000

Aston Villa’s injury woes have just been made worse as another one of their key stars is set to miss several weeks.

Steven Gerrard is already without centre-back Diego Carlos, right-back Matty Cash and holding midfielder Boubacar Kamara – who went off injured in the Birmingham club’s last match against Southampton.

Now in addition to this, left-back Lucas Digne has suffered an ankle injury that is likely to keep him sidelined for several weeks, reports the Daily Mail.

The 29-year-old was set to participate in France’s upcoming Nations League matches but will now miss those clashes, as well as games for Villa.

Gerrard now has an injury crisis on his hands as the Villa boss is missing three out of his four starting defenders.

Digne has picked up an ankle injury

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