Good morning and welcome to today’s Daily Briefing – click here to subscribe for this round-up ad-free and straight to your inbox, as well as exclusive columns from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Jonathan Johnson, Christian Falk and Neil Jones!

Today’s top stories:

• Man City advancing in their pursuit of Matheus Nunes
• Liverpool have a very clear stance regarding Mohamed Salah
• Manchester United will decide the future of Marc Cucurella

Ajax

• Mohammed Kudus has joined West Ham from Ajax as part of a €45m package, plus a sell-on clause.

Arsenal

• Kieran Tierney has joined Real Sociedad on loan for the season – no buy option clause included in the deal.

AS Monaco

• Monaco are back in talks with Fulham to sign Tosin Adarabioyo. They hope to get the Folarin Balogun deal done first and will then try to complete the deal for Adarabioyo.

Aston Villa

• Al Duhail have approached Aston Villa for Philippe Coutinho but there’s still no formal bid on the table. Discussions are advanced on the player’s side.
• Cameron Archer has joined Sheffield United as part of a £18.5m deal with Aston Villa.

Barcelona

• Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said: “We will have space with Financial Fair Play to sign more than one player.” The first player that will arrive is Joao Cancelo from Man City.

Bayer Leverkusen

• Nathan Tella has joined Bayer Leverkusen from Southampton for £20m.

Chelsea

• Roma feel they can reach an agreement for Romelu Lukaku within the next 24 hours and want the deal done on Monday. José Mourinho is pushing a lot for the player after a loan fee in excess of €5m was offered. Negotiations took place on Sunday night to get it over the line.

• Manchester United and Chelsea spoke on Saturday about a Marc Cucurella loan deal. The decision on how this deal moves forward comes down to United – more info can be found here.

Crystal Palace

• Dean Henderson is set to join Crystal Palace from Manchester United as part of a £20m deal, with a sell-on clause.

Eintracht Frankfurt

• PSG are still optimistic that they can get a deal done with Eintracht Frankfurt for Randal Kolo Muani. Negotiations will enter into the key stages very soon.
• Napoli are closing in on a deal to sign Jesper Lindstrøm from Frankfurt.

Everton

• Recent changes to Al Shabab’s board have slowed down a deal for Everton’s Demarai Gray.
• Everton will look to make the signing of Beto from Udinese official soon. The player’s medical and some formal steps still need to happen.

Fulham

• Fulham are close to reaching an agreement with Leicester City for Timothy Castagne.
• Monaco are back in talks with Fulham to sign Tosin Adarabioyo.

Lazio

• Lazio have reached an agreement with Olympique Marseille over the €18m transfer of Mattéo Guendouzi. First, the player will join on loan with a €1m loan fee included, then there will be an obligation to buy worth a €12m fixed fee plus €5m in easy add-ons.

Leicester City

• Nottingham Forest are set to bid for Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi. The player has agreed personal terms and negotiations will now start between clubs.
• Fulham are close to reaching an agreement with Leicester City for Timothy Castagne.

Liverpool

• Liverpool have a very clear stance regarding Mohamed Salah amid interest from Al Ittihad – the full story can be found here

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Manchester City

• Manchester City have submitted a new bid to Wolves for Matheus Nunes. The offer is €60m with add-ons and the Manchester club are confident it will be enough to get it done. Personal terms have already been agreed with the midfielder. For more info on this story – click here!

Manchester United

• Manchester United and Chelsea spoke on Saturday about a Marc Cucurella loan deal. United will decide the future of Cucurella – plus their other left-back targets are mentioned here.
• Dean Henderson is set to join Crystal Palace from Manchester United as part of a £20m deal, with a sell-on clause.

• The truth about the failed Harry Maguire and West Ham deal can be found here.

Napoli

• Napoli are closing in on a deal to sign Jesper Lindstrøm from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Nottingham Forest

• Tottenham are preparing to approach Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson this week.
• Nottingham Forest are set to bid for Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi. The player has agreed personal terms and negotiations will now start between clubs.
• Corinthians’ Murillo will travel to Europe in the next few days to undergo medical tests ahead of becoming a new Nottingham Forest player.

Paris Saint-Germain

• PSG are still optimistic that they can get a deal done with Frankfurt for Randal Kolo Muani. Negotiations will enter into the key stages very soon.

Roma

• Roma feel they can reach an agreement for Romelu Lukaku within the next 24 hours and want the deal done on Monday. José Mourinho is pushing a lot for the player after a loan fee in excess of €5m was offered. Negotiations took place on Sunday night to get it over the line.

Sheffield United

• Cameron Archer has joined Sheffield United as part of a £18.5m deal with Aston Villa.

Tottenham

• Tottenham are preparing to approach Nottingham Forest for Brennan Johnson this week.

West Ham

• Mohammed Kudus has joined West Ham from Ajax as part of a €45m package, plus a sell-on clause. The player has signed a contract until June 2028 with an option for a further season.
• The truth about the failed Harry Maguire and West Ham deal can be found here.

Wolves

• Manchester City have submitted a new bid to Wolves for Matheus Nunes. The offer is €60m with add-ons and the Manchester club are confident it will be enough to get it done. Personal terms have already been agreed with the midfielder. For more info on this story – click here!
• Wolves full-back Bendeguz Bolla will join Servette on loan with an option to buy included.

The post Transfer news: Man City submit €60m plus bid for Premier League star, West Ham complete impressive signing, Lukaku deal gets closer & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Good morning and welcome to today’s Daily Briefing – click here to subscribe for this round-up ad-free and straight to your inbox, as well as exclusive columns from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Jonathan Johnson, Christian Falk and Neil Jones!

Today’s top stories:

• Chelsea defender on Manchester United’s transfer list
• Manchester City will push for Premier League star
• The latest on Liverpool’s transfer plans

Ajax

• Mohammed Kudus has successfully completed his medical in London ahead of becoming a new West Ham player.

Arsenal

• Kieran Tierney is in Spain to complete his move to Real Sociedad on loan.

Aston Villa

• Philippe Coutinho has reached an agreement with Qatari side Al Duhail over personal terms but an agreement needs to be reached with Aston Villa.

Barcelona

• Alexis Sanchez was never close to returning to Barcelona, it was all fake news – more info here.

Brighton

• A verbal agreement over a €27m fee, plus €3m in add-ons, has been reached between Lille and Brighton for Carlos Baleba. Personal terms have already been agreed ahead of a move as the player is set for his medical.

Celta Vigo

• Gabri Veiga has completed his move to Al Ahli from Celta Vigo.

Chelsea

• Roma are in talks with Chelsea to sign Romelu Lukaku. An important bid has been submitted with a loan fee but how the striker’s salary will be paid is being discussed. The owners are directly involved in order to get the deal over the line.

• One player Man United have enquired about for the left-back role is Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella – for more info, click here!
• Djordje Petrović has signed for Chelsea on a seven-year contract from New England Revolution.

Crystal Palace

• Crystal Palace are closing in on a permanent deal for Manchester United’s Dean Henderson. The final details of the deal will be completed on Sunday.

Everton

• Udinese striker Beto is set to join Everton after an agreement was reached over a transfer fee, which will be in excess of €30m but under his €35m release clause.

Inter Milan

• Alexis Sánchez has joined Inter on a short-term deal until 2024 as a free agent. The player was never close to returning to Barcelona, it was all fake news – more info here.

Liverpool

• The latest on Liverpool’s transfer plans for the final week of the window can be found here!

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Manchester City

• Man City will push for Matheus Nunes until the transfer window shuts – full story here.

Manchester United

• One player Man United have enquired about for the left-back role is Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella – for more info, click here!
• Sofyan Amrabat has once again not been called up for Fiorentina’s next game. The player won’t play or train until his future is resolved and he is waiting for Manchester United.

• Crystal Palace are closing in on a permanent deal for Manchester United’s Dean Henderson. The final details of the deal will be completed on Sunday.
• The latest on Donny van de Beek’s future can be found here!
• Altay Bayindir is in England ahead of €7m move from Fenerbahce to Manchester United.

Real Sociedad

• Kieran Tierney is set to complete his loan move to Real Sociedad. The player arrived in Spain on Saturday.

Roma

• Roma are in talks with Chelsea to sign Romelu Lukaku on loan. An important bid has been submitted with a loan fee but how the striker’s salary will be paid is being discussed. The owners are directly involved in order to get the deal over the line.
• Sardar Azmoun has signed for Roma from Bayer Leverkusen as part of a loan deal until June.

Sevilla

• West Ham are currently in talks to sign Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri – more info here.

Sporting CP

• Iván Fresneda is ready to join Sporting CP from Real Valladolid. His contract is until 2028 and it is a €9m plus €3m add-ons package agreed between both clubs.

West Ham

• Mohammed Kudus has successfully completed his medical in London ahead of becoming a new West Ham player.
• West Ham are currently in talks to sign Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri – more info here.
• For more information on West Ham’s pursuit of Ibrahim Sangaré – click here!

Wolves

• Man City will push for Matheus Nunes until the transfer window shuts – full story here.

The post Transfer news: Man United enquire about Chelsea star, Man City to push for Premier League midfielder, talks ongoing for Lukaku & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Despite being wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, according to recent reports, Phillippe Coutinho could become the subject of a transfer tug-of-war between clubs in Qatar.

That’s according to a recent report from leading transfer expert and CaughtOffside columnist Fabrizio Romano, who claims the Brazilian ‘has chances’ to leave Aston Villa before next month’s deadline.

Qatari clubs will insist to sign Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa in the final days of the window. ???? #transfers

Approaches also from Saudi but Qatari side pushing. Coutinho has chances to leave in case of good proposal. pic.twitter.com/iWYqLELd1h

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2023

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Joining the Villains from Barcelona, initially on loan, 18 months ago, Coutinho, 31, signed permanently for the Midlands club last summer in a deal worth £17 million (Sky Sports).

However, despite the early excitement surrounding the former Liverpool winger, fans quickly lost patience with the South American. Struggling to perform and now very much out of Unai Emery’s first-team plans, there is growing speculation this summer could be the 31-year-old’s last with the club.

Proving just how disappointing his time at Villa Park has been, Coutinho, who has three years left on his contract, has scored just six goals in 42 appearances in all competitions.

The post Qatari clubs attempting to sign Aston Villa star before transfer deadline appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho has attracted interest from an unnamed Qatari club, as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Qatari club has enquired about the conditions of a potential deal for the Brazilian midfielder. Additionally, clubs from the Saudi Pro League have also shown interest in Coutinho, having made approaches for him in July.

Romano tweeted:

“Understand one club from Qatar has now asked for conditions of Philippe Coutinho deal. Coutinho could leave Aston Villa in case he receives good proposal; Saudi clubs also approached him in July.”

Understand one club from Qatar has now asked for conditions of Philippe Coutinho deal. ???? #AVFC

Coutinho could leave Aston Villa in case he receives good proposal; Saudi clubs also approached him in July. pic.twitter.com/dq3HVzdTUg

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 5, 2023

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Philippe Coutinho’s career has taken a downturn since leaving Liverpool, where he was a fan-favorite and delivered remarkable performances.

He enjoyed success and adoration during his time at Liverpool but faced difficulties after forcing a move to Barcelona, which didn’t work out as expected.

Subsequent loan spells at Bayern Munich and then Aston Villa showed glimpses of his previous form, but his performances at Aston Villa have not been consistent since he made his permanent move there. He has now once again fallen down the pecking order under the now manager Unai Emery.

Now 30 years old, Coutinho may be considering his options for the next phase of his career. A move to the Saudi Pro League or Qatar could offer financial security while potentially allowing him to find his form once again.

The Brazilian playmaker’s future remains uncertain, and it will be interesting to see where he ends up next season.

The post Philippe Coutinho on Middle East radar: Two clubs eyeing former Liverpool star appeared first on CaughtOffside.

If there was anyone left believing that the Saudi Pro League were just going to be another flash in the pan like the Chinese Super League was, news of Steven Gerrard’s first two targets for Al Ettifaq will surely have Liverpool supporters sitting up and taking notice.

The former Reds captain and talisman was confirmed as the new manager of the Saudi giants, and he clearly isn’t wasting any time on setting his standards at the highest level.

According to 90Min, both Jordan Henderson and Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho are on his radar.

Former team-mates of Gerrard, it will be interesting to see if either player will firstly be allowed to leave their current clubs, and if there’s an indication whether a deal is there to be done, whether the players themselves will be tempted by the vast riches expected to be on offer.

The outlet also go on to note that yet another former Liverpool star could be of interest to Gerrard: Paris Saint-Germain’s Gini Wijnaldum.

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Gerrard is targeting players that he knows from his own playing career, as he will understand exactly what each can bring to the party.

If he can organise a semblance of a decent squad this summer and then continue to add to it over forthcoming windows, there’s no reason why he can’t be a success in the Pro League before coming back to manage Liverpool in the future if that option opes up for him.

The post Fifth most expensive footballer ever and Liverpool talisman could join Steven Gerrard in Saudi appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Steven Gerrard looks set to take over at Saudi Arabian side Ettifaq and the former Liverpool star wants two Reds heroes to play for him in the Middle East.

According to Tuttomercato, Gerrard is plotting to sign Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho and Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane this summer as both are out of favour at their current clubs.

The Brazilian’s career has come to a standstill at present and a move to Saudi Arabia could benefit him, although there will likely be interest from Europe and in his native Brazil.

As for Mane, the Senegal star has had a poor season with Bayern Munich but it is something that the forward can still fix. Should he leave the German champions, there will be a lot of interest from Europe’s biggest clubs in the former Liverpool star as only a year ago he was crowned the second-best player in the world at the Ballon d’Or awards.

? Steven Gerrard is plotting a move to sign both Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mané at Al-Ettifaq. ??

(Source: Tuttomercato) pic.twitter.com/R1X42l8wJn

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 14, 2023

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

With both still being only 31, the pair can certainly still compete in Europe with a decent club, especially Mane.

A move to Saudi Arabia would be a backwards step in their careers but should Gerrard get the two stars, it would be a big deal for Ettifaq.

The post Steven Gerrard wants two former Liverpool heroes to play for him in Saudi Arabia appeared first on CaughtOffside.

When the transfer window ended at the beginning of the season, Sky Sports asked its viewers to pick a starting eleven based on the best signings made by Premier League clubs.

With the end of the season on the horizon, we look back on the starting eleven and see how well it’s aged since August.

For the most part, this team has mostly aged like an old carton of milk.

A number of Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea flops made the list. Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison all made the team from Spurs.

As for Chelsea, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling were selected by the viewers.

Another pick which has proven to be completely wrong was Philippe Coutinho of Aston Villa, who has struggled since completing a permanent move to Villa Park.

Christian Eriksen of Manchester United, Fulham’s Bernd Leno and Darwin Nunez from Liverpool have all been strong signings for their respective clubs.

In all honesty, the signing that was the most accurate was Sven Botman of Newcastle United, a statement that many wouldn’t have seen coming.

However, the Dutchman has proven to be a rock at the back for Eddie Howe’s side and is certainly the best of the bunch from this team.

Down below you can find the list of the full starting eleven…

Sky Sports News viewers have been picking their transfer window XI… Have they made the right calls for this side? ?? pic.twitter.com/3CI3NNDVq8

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 5, 2022

The post Sky transfer XI from last August looks a shocker now as it features major Chelsea and Spurs flops appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Philippe Coutinho capped off an excellent Aston Villa move to regain their lead against Arsenal. 

It was an excellent start to the game with Aston Villa and Arsenal exchanging blows in the first 20 minutes. Villa took the lead through Ollie Watkins before Bukayo Saka fired a sensational striker past Emi Martinez to make it 1-1.

The action didn’t stop there though, with Coutinho expertly placing the ball past Aaron Ramsdale to regain Aston Villa’s lead.

Aston Villa lead again through Philippe Coutinho ??

A flowing attacking move from the home side is finished off expertly by the Brazilian… pic.twitter.com/reffv2Q1Dn

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 18, 2023

Aston Villa is cooking Arsenal so bad ??????? Phillip Coutinho ?? pic.twitter.com/RsveuWdrlb

— Goku_ (@ssb_Goku_) February 18, 2023

Pictures from BT Sport and Peacock USA.

The post (Video) Philippe Coutinho caps off a fantastic Aston Villa move to regain their lead against Arsenal appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Philippe Coutinho does not have a place in Aston Villa’s future and should be sold as soon as possible.

That is the view of former attacker and self-confessed Villians fan Stan Collymore, who thinks the Brazilian playmaker was nothing more than a ‘vanity signing’ made by CEO Christian Purslow.

Coutinho, 30, joined the Midlands side from Barcelona 12 months ago, initially on a short-term loan, before making his switch permanent in a £20m deal in the summer.

However, despite having a Champions League winner’s medal, Coutinho has massively failed to live up to expectations at Villa Park, and Collymore now believes it is time the club parted ways with the experienced South American.

“I don’t think Philippe Coutinho will make the cut in the summer,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.

“I think he was nothing more than one of Christian Purslow’s vanity signings, in the same way that Steven Gerrard was.

“Now they’ve got a guy in Emery who knows the coaching side of the game, a very clear message will be sent in the summer to the players who can be relied upon to help inspire a push for European football and unfortunately, Coutinho isn’t one of them.

“Prior to joining Villa, he played a pitiful amount of games, so why did Purslow and the supporters believe he was the man to make the difference week-in-week-out for Villa, especially when, at the time that he joined, they were a club very much in the bottom half of the table?”

READ MORE: Exclusive: Chelsea still keen on midfielder transfer, Man Utd could sign PL flop – Fabrizio Romano

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Coutinho’s latest poor performance came during Villa’s shock 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Stevenage on Sunday, and after being subbed off with 30 minutes to go, the 30-year-old became the subject of some online trolling by the League 2 club’s social media team.

66′ – Philippe Coutinho comes off.

The substitution took longer than usual as they had to dig him out of Luther James-Wildin’s back pocket.#AVFC 1-0 #SFC

???

— Stevenage FC ?? (@StevenageFC) January 8, 2023

“Trolling from Stevenage’s social media team or not, I’d be surprised if Villa didn’t try to sell Coutinho in the summer.,” Collymore added.

“It won’t be easy though. His contract runs until 2026 which was a ridiculous deal to give him by the way. It was offered at an end of season get together last summer as some sort of weird Purslow gift to Villa fans but it is a complete and utter waste of the owner’s money and because of that, they could very well end up with the player not involved at all and earning huge money – Crazy!

“Other options would obviously include Villa giving him a free transfer in three years’ time, or loaning him out before then, but either way, Coutinho should not be at Aston Villa football club.”

The post Exclusive: Collymore urges Aston Villa to sell ‘vanity signing’ as soon as possible appeared first on CaughtOffside.

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Aston Villa and Newcastle United’s shock FA Cup exits, Wout Weghorst’s reported move to Man United, which club Mykhailo Mudryk should join, plus much more…

————————————————————————–

Stick by Graham Potter, he’s there to change Chelsea’s culture…

When you’ve got a disjointed squad, you try different things. There is no doubt that Graham Potter has been told by Todd Boehly to try and find the best method and the best players to get the team properly functioning, so from that perspective, I think Potter is using common sense and basing his tactical selections on trying to find out which players want to be part of the club’s future.

As for the fans chanting Thomas Tuchel’s name – I think it’s an absolute disgrace. The reason Potter has been bought in is to break the hiring and firing culture at Chelsea, and hearing those chants is not going to do the manager any good, it isn’t going to do the players any good and it’s undermining what the club are trying to do.

Most Blues fans bought into the idea of Boehly buying the club and his idea of stopping them from being dependent on instant success and if he can do that, then they’ve got a real chance of having a team that can consistently compete again. If they don’t go down this road, there is absolutely no chance that they’re going to be in the same position they were during Roman Abramovich’s ownership, and that’s because all the clubs around them look like they’re heading for new owners, Man United and Liverpool for example. The hiring and firing at-will days are over.

During Chelsea’s glory days, they were one of two, maybe three, teams able to compete and that isn’t the case anymore and it’s only going to get more competitive, so the arguments which suggest Potter is looking out of his depth, I think that’s nonsense. He’s trying to find a team and a group of players who are going to not only stick in there and help turn the team’s form around but also be part of the future, and I hope that means that Boehly has assured him some time, at least until the end of the season.

No Premier League club should lose to a League 2 side at home…

Firstly – Aston Villa recorded a really poor result against Stevenage in the FA Cup this weekend. A Premier League club should only ever lose to a League 2 side at home in a pre-season friendly. Simple as that.

They’ve got three very winnable games coming up in the league against Leeds, Southampton and Leicester City, so my take on it is, if they return to domestic action and pick up a decent amount of points, no harm done. But momentum in football is everything and following this weekend’s awful result, if Unai Emery then fails to take a significant amount of points in these upcoming games, suddenly the pressure is on.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting Emery is going to lose his job anytime soon. He’s a proven winner and a solid tactician, he’ll be given the summer window to reinforce and go again. But losing the side’s momentum may prove costly.

Not only that but one of the biggest disappointment for me when it came to Villa going out against Stevenage was the fact the FA Cup presented the club with a decent chance to at least go on a deep run in the competition. We have such an abysmal record in the FA Cup that it’d have been nice for the players and the supporters if they were to have gone a bit further.

Philippe Coutinho was a vanity signing and now has to go…

I don’t think Philippe Coutinho will make the cut in the summer. I think he was nothing more than one of Christian Purslow’s vanity signings, in the same way that Steven Gerrard was.

Now they’ve got a guy in Emery who knows the coaching side of the game, a very clear message will be sent in the summer to the players who can be relied upon to help inspire a push for European football and unfortunately, Coutinho isn’t one of them.

Prior to joining Villa, he played a pitiful amount of games, so why did Purslow and the supporters believe he was the man to make the difference week-in-week-out for Villa, especially when, at the time that he joined, they were a club very much in the bottom half of the table?

Trolling from Stevenage’s social media team or not, I’d be surprised if Villa didn’t try to sell Coutinho in the summer. It won’t be easy though. His contract runs until 2026 which was a ridiculous deal to give him by the way. It was offered at an end of season get together last summer as some sort of weird Purslow gift to Villa fans but it is a complete and utter waste of the owner’s money and because of that, they could very well end up with the player not involved at all and earning huge money. Crazy.

Other options would obviously include Villa giving him a free transfer in three years’ time, or loaning him out before then, but either way, Coutinho should not be at Aston Villa football club.

Eddie Howe was right to make FA Cup changes, but early exit missed opportunity…

Very similar to Villa, Newcastle United also suffered a poor FA Cup result. Losing away to Sheffield Wednesday may not feel quite as bad as losing to Stevenage at home, but the Magpies will still feel equally as disappointed.

Eddie Howe changed his team up and I do understand why. They’re not overly blessed with quality in depth and they’re obviously flying in the league, so he had no choice but to make changes, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.

Sadly though, going on a deep run in the FA Cup, or perhaps even winning it, is not something either team is going to be able to do this season, and with both clubs not lifting the trophy for well over 60 years, it’ll go down as a missed opportunity for both.

READ MORE: Exclusive: Bellingham transfer remains Liverpool priority but Reds “ready” in case another opportunity arises

More Stories / Latest News

Man United one of two clubs that could be dragged into the Premier League’s FFP mess

Nov 24 2023, 13:23

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

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

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

And I go back to my earlier point about momentum being so important. No fan in their right mind is going to criticise Howe for his selection against Sheffield Wednesday, and rightly so, but if this latest defeat then becomes part of a bigger and worse run, it’ll feel more significant than it perhaps does right now.

We’ll see how it plays out though because I expect him to go stronger against Leicester City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday and then, like Villa, they also have a run of very winnable games in the Premier League against Fulham, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Bournemouth.

Wout Weghorst to Man United? – Not for me!

He’s big, he’s strong and he has some really good pressing stats, but make no mistake… He is no Man United player.

It goes without saying that United need a striker but Wout Weghorst would be a punt and a big gamble. I just don’t see him as a Premier League quality player and someone who has ever had to show that he can handle the monumental pressure that comes with leading United’s attack – It feels like another Andy Carroll signing for Liverpool situation.

I’m sure the club and the fans will get behind him and give him what he needs, but, like Carroll not being good enough for Liverpool, Weghorst, in my view, isn’t good enough for United.

This must just be a case of the Glazers knowing they’re going to sell the club and saying to Erik Ten Hag ‘we won’t be here much longer, you can have the cheaper, easier option in Weghorst, but we’re not spending £60m plus on your top target’ – whoever that may be.

In terms of Weghorst’s style of play, I wonder, if they do sign him, how much game time he’d get. You’d imagine that bringing in a striker at this stage of the season, that he’d get a decent amount of matches, but what that could mean for the likes of Marcus Rashford, who is on fire at the moment, we’ll have to see, and I don’t mean in terms of Weghorst replacing him, obviously, but in terms of the current players having to change their style of play to accommodate his aerial ability and physical nature.

Ten Hag also prefers his teams to get the ball on the ground and play quick, more possession-based football, so it’ll be interesting to see how Weghorst would fit in.

However, as I mentioned, he has a really good work rate, so it may well be that United and their fans love him and he ends up being an important player. But for me, personally, he’s a Poundland signing, as opposed to a Waitrose one, and not one I’d be looking to make.

Mykhailo Mudryk should choose Chelsea over Arsenal…

If you believe all the reports surrounding Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk, he has a choice between moving to Arsenal and Chelsea.

I know some fans will argue that considering where both clubs are at the minute, if he were to choose the Blues over the Gunners, it’ll only be for the money, and that may well be true, but for me, Chelsea is still the more attractive project.

If Boehly can sell Chelsea’s future to Mudryk then that’s the more alluring option.

If I had the choice, I’d choose Chelsea over Arsenal and that’s not me dismissing the good work Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are doing, but I just think over a three or four-year period, the Blues are the better project and the club more likely to consistently compete for silverware – so all that being considered, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mudryk ended up at Stamford Bridge.

Traditions in football are everything and Real Madrid just destroyed theirs…

For their game against Villarreal on Saturday, Real Madrid fielded a starting 11 that didn’t include a Spanish player for the first time in 120 years, and that actually made me feel quite sad.

Similarly to Man United’s long-standing record of always having an academy graduate in their matchday squad, these little traditions are what make football clubs, so for Real Madrid to concede that record last weekend, was really disappointing.

The game is changing so quickly and although multicultural setups at clubs are wonderful to see because football is a global sport and open to all, I think little traditions such as Madrid’s emphasis on homegrown talent are something we’ll all miss once they’re gone.

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