According to a number of leading bookmakers, Aston Villa are amongst the favourites to sign Joey Barton on a free transfer.
The 35-year-old is expected to return to football next season following 13 months on the sidelines after breaking rules in relation to betting.
The midfielder was initially handed an 18-month ban, but had it reduced by five months in July. Barton, who was contracted to Burnley at the time, has since taken on the role of a pundit.
[ad_pod ]
It is understood that the former Manchester City midfielder wants to return to football for the 2018-19 campaign, and Villa are one of the clubs that have been credited with an interest.
The Villa supporters have been reacting to the news, and it would be fair to say that not many are thrilled.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Indeed, whilst one-time England international Barton would more than likely be a good signing for a number of Championship clubs, Villa fans are simply not interested in the deal.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Newcastle United journalist Dominic Scurr has now spotted that Fabian Schar was also absent from training alongside Allan Saint-Maximin.
The Lowdown: No Saint-Maximin again
Saint-Maximin has been out for the St. James’ Park faithful’s last not been pictured in training ahead of their next match at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon is certainly worrying.
However, he was not the only absentee, begging questions over how many players Eddie Howe has available for the visit of the Seagulls.
The Latest: No sign of Schar
Taking to Twitter, Scurr also noticed that Schar was not pictured in training either, raising concern over whether he will now be available against Graham Potter’s men:
“Fabian Schar also not pictured in training this week. Unsure why at this stage. The Swiss defender has been in fine form for #NUFC recently.”
The Verdict: Worry
To potentially lose Schar as well as Saint-Maximin for the weekend would certainly be a worry for the North East club, especially given his form.
They have not lost in the last benched.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Nonetheless, it will have to be confirmed by Howe why Schar was absent, and hopefully he will be still fine for the clash.
In other news, find out what ‘brilliant’ Magpies update Mehrdad Ghodoussi has now revealed here!
Wolves defender Ki-Jana Hoever appeared to be distraught as he left the field through injury in the first half of the defeat against Crystal Palace, according to Tim Spiers.
The lowdown
The young Dutchman made just his fourth league start of the season on Saturday but lasted only 25 minutes before he was forced off through injury.
Wolves were already without one of their right wing-back options in Nelson Semedo, who isn’t currently expected to be back until the middle of April (via Premier Injuries). Jonny Otto is capable of playing there but is naturally a left-sided defender.
The latest
With Hoever about to be substituted for Jonny, The Athletic’s Wolves correspondent Spiers took to Twitter to issue a worrying assessment.
He observed: “Hoever limping off, looks devastated. Jonny being called.”
The verdict
Bruno Lage isn’t just frustrated with the timing of this particular injury. He said after the match that Hoever suffered the hamstring strain ‘because he is not prepared’ and ‘doesn’t work with the same intensity’ as some of his team-mates in training.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Spiers interpreted this as blaming the 20-year-old ‘for getting injured’, and after such a stinging rebuke, you have to wonder how severe the repercussions will be for Hoever, not just over his involvement this season but also in terms of his Wolves career as a whole.
In other news, Wolves had already suffered this injury blow
Marcus Rashford has been in the headlines non-stop this week after it was reported that he is considering his future at his boyhood club Manchester United, potentially leaving for a new challenge this summer, and there’s a chance that it actually could have come at the perfect time for the Glazers.
The 24-year-old, who has made 295 appearances over the last six years for the club, was left out of the starting line-up in the Manchester derby despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani both being absent from the squad. Instead, Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes was chosen to start in the centre-forward role against Pep Guardiola’s side, and it seems that this selection may have been the final straw for Rashford at Old Trafford.
Less than 24 hours later after the initial claims about the Englishman’s future, Romano tweeted that the Mancunian forward – who was called “special” by Gary Lineker – would now consider his options due to a lack of game-time in the squad, which comes as no coincidence after his latest snub from Ralf Rangnick at the Ethiad Stadium on Sunday.
With that being said, the prospect of Rashford leaving the club is now a hot topic of conversation amongst many fans and the media. Indeed, the rumour mill already churning on his next move, with Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United reportedly interested in the forward.
Although Man United will not want to lose a homegrown talent who has offered so much to the team, this could be a perfect opportunity from a financial perspective to sell the 24-year-old, especially if they can’t resolve the current issues with him.
According to Transfermarkt, since his debut in February 2016, Rashford was originally valued at £2.7m a month later in March 2016. He has struggled to maintain his high standards and attacking output this season, but thanks to his longevity, consistency over the years and prime age, the 24-year-old is now rated at his highest-ever market value of £76.5m, which is a 2,733% increase in six years.
Whilst the England international is currently at his prime market value, it could be a mutually beneficial outcome for both him and Manchester United if he is sold.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In that instance, the new manager to be appointed in the summer can use the profit made to sign a marquee striker to replace expected departees, including Paul Pogba – who looks set to leave the club on a free transfer when the season is over – and the out-of-favour Rashford, who in turn may enjoy more regular game-time elsewhere.
In other news: Another Man Utd player’s future could be hanging in the balance
Aston Villa’s season has been a tale of two halves so far with the side falling into 16th with Dean Smith before Steven Gerrard was appointed in November.
They are now battling for a comfortable spot in the top half of the table currently ninth in the Premier League table, thanks to a huge U-turn in performances with the help of their new manager.
The Villa boss added some key signings at the first opportunity in the January transfer window, securing the signatures of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, with the pair of them becoming consistent starters in the team since their arrival.
The Brazilian especially has made a notable impact since arriving less than eight weeks ago, scoring four goals and assisting three times in just nine appearances so far.
With that in mind, the addition of Coutinho has pushed the competition for a position in the forward line to new extremes, as the side’s attacking options were already highly competitive before the Barcelona loanee’s arrival.
Now with speculation mounting on Villa’s plans to permanently sign the forward, it could mean Gerrard needs to make a decision on the future of the other players struggling for a spot.
One player who has suffered the sting of limited game time this season is summer signing Leon Bailey, who has only made 13 appearances for his new club, scoring one goal and serving up two assists for his team so far.
The addition of Coutinho hasn’t helped his cause and if he signs permanently, match action for Bailey will be even trickier to find.
The £85k-per-week winger who was hailed “extraordinary” by Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler, joined Villa park after stealing the spotlight in the Bundesliga with a goal involvement every two games for Bayern Leverkusen and was also named Young Belgian Footballer of the Year in 2015/16, proving that he was a notable talent to acquire.
Bailey now finds himself struggling to gain consistent playing time at Villa following a succession of injuries, and transfer insider, Dean Jones, believes that Gerrard has a big decision to make on the player’s future at the club, telling GIVEMESPORT:
“It will be up to Steven Gerrard to contemplate whether to work hard enough on him to find a role within the setup he’s got or is it just worth selling him and finding somebody he’s going to get a quicker turnaround from.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Aston Villa are in a prime position to push on further next season to secure a spot to qualify for European football next season and he has important decisions to make in his squad to complete the goal he has set for reaching that landmark for the club.
With the talent that Bailey clearly has, he could be an asset for the team, but will surely be looking for more game time.
In other news: AVFC plot bid to sign £50m gem who’s “Champions League material”, imagine him & McGinn
West Brom had a pretty busy transfer window last summer in terms of bringing in new players in and moving some out of the club.
Looking ahead to this summer’s window, it seems as though a clue has already emerged over one potential deal which could take place at The Hawthorns before the start of next season.
What’s the news?
In a recent West Brom mailbag article from The Athletic, Baggies journalist Steve Madeley was asked whether or not there will be a big overhaul of players at the Midlands club during the upcoming summer transfer window.
In response, Madeley had this to say about the future of a couple of loan players currently at the club: “Matt Clarke’s loan from Brighton will expire, as will Jayson Molumby’s, but there’s a good chance West Brom will trigger a clause to make his move permanent.”
Since arriving at Albion last August on loan from Premier League club Brighton with an option to buy, the midfielder has made 24 appearances in the Championship for the Baggies, starting just 12 times.
In those matchees, the Irishman has only found the back of the net on one occasion and failed to provide any assists, also racking up more yellow cards (eight) than any other player in Steve Bruce’s squad and one red card as well.
With just 21 tackles won and 18 interceptions made, the Baggies have had to rely on a few other players to help the team stay as defensively strong as possible. Even from an attacking point of view, the 22-year-old hasn’t blown anyone away, as only three of his 14 shots at goal have been on target.
Fans will be seething
According to WhoScored, the midfielder has earned himself an underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.54/10, making him one of the lowest-rated outfield players currently in the squad to have started more than one league game in this campaign.
Taking all this into account, it doesn’t seem like the Brighton loanee hasn’t done enough to convince us that the Baggies should use their option to sign him permanently, which could make a lot of West Brom fans unhappy if the club puts some of their transfer budget towards such a deal.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
However, if the 22-year-old can have a strong end to his season in terms of his performances, this could sway some of the fans into thinking that he might yet be an important figure for the team in the future, but only if he improves.
In other news – Cost £0, now worth £2.7m: West Brom struck gold on “unbelievable” gem who is “like a sponge”
Ibrox sources have claimed that this would be a ‘phenomenal’ sum, in the context of their modern history and world events in recent years.
The figure will depend on how many more games that they play at home, and how far they get in the UEFA Europa League.
The Latest: McLeish reacts
Speaking to Football Insider, former Teddy Bears manager McLeish was wowed by the news, claiming that the numbers quoted are ‘sensational’:
“Those figures are sensational. You wonder how that can happen in the Scottish league, which is not the strongest league.
“But of course, the European money has been very lucrative. Rangers have deserved that money because of their achievements in Europe and getting to the later stages.
“It really is incredible money for them to perhaps put a stranglehold on things. Also, to try and have dominance in the league.
“It just reinforces what people have been saying to me for years, money men. Guys who don’t support Rangers have said to me there’s no way Rangers can’t make money.
“They’ll continue to make money despite some hard-luck times. The relegation, going through the divisions and then the pandemic.
“They’re still highly capable of earning fantastic revenue.”
The Verdict: Great for the club
The kind of money that the Light Blues are making this term really is great for the club.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Even though they are currently behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table, they are in the Europa League quarter-finals, having seen off both Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade.
They also have a favourable draw against Braga, and so have a good chance to go all the way in the competition.
Nonetheless, if they can claw back the points needed in order to catch the Hoops, and advance further in Europe, then the Gers will be looking at very healthy revenues once the campaign comes to a close.
In other news, find out what ‘major blow’ RFC now face here!
Wolves reportedly now want to clinch a quick deal to sign Kilmarnock central defender and ‘big, big’ talent Charlie McArthur.
The Lowdown: Breakthrough season
McArthur is enjoying a breakthrough season in Scottish football, having already made three senior appearances for his club at just 16 years of age.
His former manager Tommy Wright was full of praise form him earlier this season, claiming that he has a ‘big, big future’ after handing him his debut, while he has also hailed McArthur as a ‘dream to work with’.
Nonetheless, it is no surprise to see clubs now circling around for his signature.
The Latest: Wolves want quick deal
As per The Daily Record, both the Midlands club and West Ham United are preparing moves and ‘want to clinch a quick deal’ for McArthur, as Brighton and Hove Albion also look to table a £275,000 bid for the starlet.
The Seagulls have been tracking him for ‘some time’ and have seen him play for Scotland’s U17s, of whom he is the captain.
The Verdict: Get it done
Given the impending offer from Brighton, the Molineux faithful need to act fast if they are going to get a deal for McArthur over the line.
He is clearly a bright prospect that could thrive in the Academy, until Bruno Lage is ready to call him up to the first team.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Nonetheless, at 16, he has so much potential, and so other teams may well join the race in the summer.
In other news, find out which Wanderers ace is now being eyed by ‘several clubs’ here!
Samuel Luckhurst slammed a Manchester United player for his performance in the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Man Utd fall to defeat at Villa Park
Taking all three points at Villa Park was always going to be a tall order, with Unai Emery’s side in red-hot form, but Man United will be very disappointed to have come away with nothing, falling short in a 2-1 defeat.
A Morgan Rogers brace was enough to secure all three points for the hosts, who are now just three points behind top of the table Arsenal, while United remain in seventh place.
With Casemiro suspended and Kobbie Mainoo sidelined, Ruben Amorim gave Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte the nod in central midfield, but the manager was forced to withdraw his captain at half-time due to an injury.
Ugarte remained on the pitch until the 73rd minute, being replaced by Joshua Zirkzee, but he arguably could’ve been taken off earlier, having put in a disappointing performance, making one error leading to a shot and being dribbled past twice.
Luckhurst lost his patience with the Uruguayan in the first half, describing him as “scandalous” after putting Senne Lammens under needless pressure in the first half.
The midfielder has had a terrible record as a starter in the Premier League for quite some time, and he was unable to put things right this afternoon.
Casemiro's absence was major blow for Amorim
Casemiro being unavailable was a real blow for Amorim, given the way in which he has turned things around over the past year, putting in some very impressive performances at both ends of the pitch.
Casemiro’s key statistics
Average per 90 (past year)
Tackles
3.83 (99th percentile)
Blocks
2.33 (99th percentile)
Non penalty-goals
0.23 (94th percentile)
Clearances
2.67 (92nd percentile)
Amorim has also singled the Brazilian out for high praise, saying after the victory against Brighton earlier this season: “He’s so important for us. Today he run (sic) a lot. He had to press so high and then return, and he’s doing that. So, I’m really pleased with him. And the other guys need to look at Casemiro.”
Subscribe to the newsletter for sharper Man Utd analysis Want clearer context on performances like Ugarte’s? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth Man United coverage – tactical breakdowns, player form evaluations and transfer-target analysis that help you understand what went wrong and what’s next. Subscribe to the newsletter for sharper Man Utd analysis Want clearer context on performances like Ugarte’s? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth Man United coverage – tactical breakdowns, player form evaluations and transfer-target analysis that help you understand what went wrong and what’s next.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ugarte, on the other hand, has never managed to establish himself as a key player for United, often being limited to appearances as a substitute, and Man United should look to cash-in this January, should they manage to bring in another midfielder.
Man Utd have their own Wharton & Anderson hybrid in £79m-rated "maestro"
This in-house Man Utd ace can solve their midfield issues.
2 ByJoe Nuttall
Interestingly, it was recently revealed that the “best” central midfielder in the world has now emerged as a target…
That has been the Terriers’ main downfall, hasn’t it? Accompany a lack of defensive stability across the course of the season has been a lack of a regular goalscoring output, which is key as to they find themselves slumped at the bottom of the Premier League.
Huddersfield Town have scored just 18 goals this season in the League, with their joint top scorer being Karlan Grant, a January transfer window signing.
Following Grant’s brace at the weekend, it seems certain he will be Jan Siewert’s first-choice striker for their remaining seven games of the season, but we can still discuss the impact that the main two options offer…
Steve Mounie
Football Soccer – Premier League – Crystal Palace vs Huddersfield Town – London, Britain – August 12, 2017 Huddersfield Town’s Steve Mounie celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Tolga Akmen EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for furth
Mounie has just two League goals and three assists in 26 League games this season. A woeful return.
The 24-year-old’s all-round game has been poor this season as although he has had a lack of service, he has certainly struggled to bring teammates into play and be clinical in front of goal, which is what his play-style is based around.
Grade: D-
Karlan Grant
After scoring 14 goals and providing five assists for Charlton in the first half of this campaign, Grant signed for Town in late January and since his arrival, he has looked bright in his six appearances so far.
The 21-year-old offers a completely different outlet to Mounie and one that is more efficient too, given his three goals in a Huddersfield shirt already. He makes lots of runs in-behind the opponent’s backline, gets involved in the build-up play often and has a relentless work-rate – all of these traits will serve him well with Town in the future.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Grade: B+
TT VERDICT
Provided he is fit, Grant must be Siewert’s only striking option for the latter stage of the season. With fate all but sealed, it provides a good opportunity for Grant to develop chemistry between his teammates and continue to prosper in West Yorkshire, which will only better Town’s chances of making it back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.