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Manchester United moved up to seventh in the Premier League after picking up an important three points on the road to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The thrilling encounter saw missed chances and plenty of last-gasp action as the game ended 4-3, the perfect viewing for the neutral but a nail-biting affair for those involved.

Erik ten Hag will be pleased with his side on the whole, and that result could be the first step towards a much-needed run of good form.

How the game vs Wolves played out

Marcus Rashford has had his critics for his off-field actions this week, but he silenced those within five minutes thanks to a brilliant strike. United came out of the tunnel with a point to prove, and by the 22nd minute, they had their second through Rasmus Hojlund, who picked up the Player of the Match award.

Ten Hag's side had two more goals ruled out for offside before the break, and the visitors racked up eight attempts at goal, 1.38 xG, and just 0.16 xGC in what was arguably their best half of the season.

United looked set to cruise to a victory, but a rather controversial penalty was given to Wolves with 20 minutes to go, which caused the Red Devils to go into the usual panic mode we've witnessed all season. Scott McTominay eased those worries four minutes later, however, scoring from a corner.

Fast forward to the 95th minute, and Pedro Neto had put the ball in the back of the net to make it 3-3 after United lost the ball from their own corner. Luckily, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo was on hand to glide through the Wanderers' defence and curl home with minutes to go.

Andre Onana and Antony vs Wolves

Andre Onana didn't do a whole lot wrong on the night, and for the first time this season, United looked comfortable when playing out from the back. However, the Cameroon star also had a few moments of chaos, which could have cost his side on another day.

For example, the goalkeeper attempted to claim a cross but missed the flight of the ball, which ultimately led to Lisandro Martinez clearing the ball off the line. His goals prevented was -0.40, which probably comes from his lack of bravery for the second goal and being beaten quite easily at his near post for the third.

Nonetheless, the table below shows a handful of Antony's stats during his short cameo, which left a lot to be desired, earned him a 2/10 rating by the Manchester Evening News, and made journalist Samuel Luckhurst call him a "liability."

Antony vs Wolves
Stats	Antony
Minutes	17
Dribble attempts (Succ)	4 (1)
Accurate passes	2/4 (50%)
Possession lost	6
Duels (won)	7 (3)
Stats via Sofascore

The Brazilian got his first goal and assist of the season against Newport County at the weekend, but he failed to build on that when he came on for 17 minutes. When the side is under pressure, players need to attempt to manage the game and not allow the opposition chances to attack.

However, the former Ajax man was extremely wasteful, and his ball retention was horrific, as shown by his 50% pass accuracy, two passes all game, possession lost six times, and his 25% dribble success rate. The 23-year-old also lost four of his seven duels, with one of them leading to the overturn in possession for Wolves' equaliser.

It was most certainly an evening to forget for the £86m enigma, with Ten Hag needing to consider whether it is wise to even bring him off the bench at the weekend, let alone handing him a start.

Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be eying up a late transfer swoop for one of Antonio Nusa's Club Brugge teammates.

Spurs' January transfers

Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou have been busy so far this month, enjoying a productive January transfer window with time left to complete even more business.

Timo Werner

Arrival

Radu Dragusin

Arrival

Eric Dier

Exit

Djed Spence

Exit

Ashley Phillips

Exit

Sergio Reguilon

Exit

Japhet Tanganga

Exit

Ivan Perisic

Exit

Spurs and Postecoglou will be alert to the possibility of adding to his squad further before the February 1st deadline, amid reports Spurs want to sign a new central midfielder.

"In terms of the rest of the transfer window, I was really pleased that the initial objectives we had in our head, which were someone in at centre-half and someone in the forward positions, that we ticked those off pretty early," said Postecoglou on the final days of the window.

"And it’s not just been that we did them early, but they’re two guys who have really benefitted from having 10 days in the building with us, training, adjusting and all that. Both Timo and Radu are both in a really good place to help us going forward. As for what happens with the rest of it going forward, as I said last time, we’re always alert and doing work and if we can improve the squad we’ll look to do that. And if there are potentially any outgoings, we’re ready for that depending on what happens."

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There have also been plenty of rumours regarding Nusa and a move to north London, with the Norway international’s camp believing he will eventually play for Tottenham. However, since then, it has been revealed that Brentford have reached an agreement to sign Nusa, with a move to Spurs appearing to be off the cards.

Spurs want Nusa and Andreas Skov Olsen

According to Tottenham News, Spurs are actually in a late January hunt to sign Andreas Skov Olsen from Club Brugge.

The report claims that Tottenham are keen on signing Skov Olsen, with those in Denmark speaking “very highly” of the 24-year-old.

Skov Olsen is left-footed but primarily plays from the right-hand side and has been with Club Brugge since 2022. He’s won two major honours with his current employers and is under contract until 2026.

Club Brugge

81

32

22

Bologna

71

3

5

Nordsjaelland

51

27

7

Denmark

29

8

6

The Denmark international has previously played in his native country and Italy, so if the opportunity arises, he may well be open to joining Spurs in the Premier League, making this one to watch.

New Zealand captain says it’s tough to process losing the World Cup in such a fashion after scores were tied at end of each innings and in the Super Overs

Melinda Farrell at Lord's15-Jul-2019Kane Williamson admitted it was “tough to swallow” the fact that the boundary countback eventually decided the World Cup winners. England and New Zealand were equal on runs after both the regulation part of the match and the Super Overs that followed, but England had scored a hit of 26 boundaries to New Zealand’s 17, including the Super Overs.When asked if the system was a fair way to decide a World Cup final, Williamson was typically gracious while admitting the situation was completely unexpected.”I suppose you never thought you would have to ask that question and I never thought I would have to answer it,” Williamson said with a wry smile. “Yeah, while the emotions are raw, it is pretty hard to swallow when two teams have worked really, really hard to get to this moment in time and when sort of two attempts to separate them with a winner and a loser it still doesn’t perhaps sort of shine with one side coming through, you know. It is what it is, really. The rules are there at the start.Watch on Hotstar – The Super Over (India only)”No one probably thought they would have to sort of resort to some of that stuff. But yeah, very tough to swallow. A great game of cricket and all you guys probably enjoyed it.”The rules are there I guess, aren’t they, and certainly something you don’t consider going into the match that maybe if we could have an extra boundary and then tied two attempts at winning it we will get across the line and they didn’t think that either. I don’t even know what the boundary count was but we were slightly behind. Yeah, very, very tough to… yeah, there you go.”Eoin Morgan said England considered the possibility of it coming into force during their chase but were also mindful of the rule before the match.”When we took the field,” Morgan said, when asked at which stage he knew that boundaries would decide the match in the case of a tied Super Over. “I asked what would happen because we sat in a meeting pre-tournament and then when it got close to the chase we started refreshing our minds whether it was going to be a Super Over or not and then communication from [fourth umpire] Aleem Dar up to the changing room before we batted and then reaffirmed when we went out to field.”

The superstar striker signed off from his PSG career with a trophy-winning display, as Luis Enrique's side beat Lyon 2-1 in the Coupe de France final.

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• Mbappe played final game for PSG
• Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele
• Lyon denied late comeback

• TELL ME MORE

  The Coupe de France final is one of the most prestigious days in the French football calendar and was given added weight by the fact that it was Kylian Mbappe's final gaame for PSG.

  And they came racing out of the traps, going close through Mbappe, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery within the first 10 minutes.

  Ousmane Dembele took advantage of that fast start after 22 minutes, heading home unmarked at the back post after a fine delivery from Nuno Mendes. Mbappe thought he had added a second soon after but saw his goal ruled out.

  Fabian Ruiz added a second soon after, tapping in after his initial shot was saved.

  PSG appeared set to cruise home, but Lyon pulled a goal back 10 minutes after the restart, as Jake O'Brien headed brilliantly beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma to spark hopes of a comeback.

  Lyon claimed for a penalty late on after an apparent handball but nothing was forthcoming, and PSG held on to claim a 15th Coupe de France.

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• Getty
  

  THE MVP

  Ousmane Dembele gave a potential glimpse into life after Mbappe with an electric display. Not only did he score, he terrorised Lyon with his pace and trickery. Maybe, just maybe, they already have their replacement for the outgoing ace; can he stay fit, though?

• THE BIG LOSER

  Whoever replaces Mbappe! It may well be Dembele but it's got to be considered that he was involved in almost every attacking move, and it's impossible to envy the man given the task of filling his boots.

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• WHAT COMES NEXT?

  PSG are set to say goodbye to Mbappe as he is almost certain to head to Spain with Real Madrid. Lyon will have to lick their wounds and hope to make a comeback next season.

There were fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Harris Sohail to go with Imad Wasim’s 117 not out as Pakistan notched a 100-run win

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2019

Imad Wasim smashed a 73-ball hundred•Getty Images

Allrounder Imad Wasim hit a career-best List A score of 117 not out to help ease Pakistan to a comfortable 100-run win over Kent in their opening tour match in blustery Beckenham.In his 101st List A appearance and facing up to single-digit temperatures, the 30-year-old clattered 13 fours and four sixes at a strike-rate of 150 to see the visitors to a commanding 50-over total of 358 for 7. In reply, a makeshift Kent side stumbled to 258 all out to lose with more than five overs remaining with only Alex Blake and Ollie Robinson offering sustained resistance.Kent lost openers Sean Dickson and Zak Crawley within seven overs, both to Faheem Ashraf. Dickson miscued to mid-on while Crawley edged an expansive drive to the keeper.With nine of his side donning beanie hats to stave off the cold, Yasir Shah, Kent’s overseas professional for 2017, sent down a first-over long-hop that Adam Rouse obliging pulled straight to deep midwicket.Playing on his home-town ground, Blake formed a useful fourth-wicket stand in tandem with Robinson that added 132 in 17 overs. Blake muscled a season’s first 50 off 31 balls with three fours and as many sixes and was only 11 shy of a century and had six sixes when he skied a return catch to Hasan Ali.Robinson followed soon after, caught behind off Hasan for 49, then two more woeful half-trackers from Yasir led to the demise of Shane Snater and James Harris with consecutive deliveries as the Kent tail capitulated.Due to their lengthy injury list Kent had been granted ECB permission to field loan players Harris, the Middlesex seamer, and Essex paceman, Snater. Kent also gave a first-team debut to teenage academy graduate, Jordan Cox.Batting first after winning the toss Pakistan’s opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq made up for a five-minute rain delay by cantering to a 50 stand in only 6.4 overs.Imam was gifted a life with his score on 21 when keeper Rouse, Kent’s acting captain, downed a diving, leg-side chance off the bowling of Fred Klaassen as the batsman aimed to glance.At the other end, Fakhar posted a chanceless fifty from 39 balls with six fours and a six but, after another rain interruption, Imam went after edging an attempted cut against Snater to Rouse, stood up to the stumps.Left-arm spinner Imran Qayyum made good use of the wind to strike with only his fifth delivery from the Beckenham End. Drifting the ball in from outside off stump, he bowled Babar Azam off his pads to make it 123 for 2.Qayyum removed Fakhar for 76 when, in attempting a reverse sweep, he was well caught overhead at short third man by Snater, then touring captain Sarfaraz Ahmed departed for 10 when he chipped a dipping delivery into the hands of mid-off.Shoaib Malik followed suit in Qayyum’s next over when the 25-year-old spinner pitched one on middle stump to beat the defensive prod and hit the top of off stump.Haris Sohail and Imad restored Pakistan’s superiority thereafter with a sixth-wicket stand worth 139 in 19 overs. Haris reached his fifty from 51 balls with three fours and a six, while Imad passed the milestone at a run-a-ball with five fours and a six as Qayyum finished with 4 for 45 – his best in List A cricket in England.Kent then gifted Haris a further chance on 72 when Robinson downed a skier at deep cover off Snater, but Haris went three runs later after clipping a drive to long-on.Klaassen got a deserved late scalp having Faheem caught in the deep by Cox off a sliced drive, leaving Imad to plough on to a 73-ball century with 11 fours and three sixes that set the hosts a mammoth pursuit at a run-rate of 7.18 an over – a chase that proved well beyond them

One Aston Villa youngster looks set to leave the club this month, but his long-term future appears to be at Villa Park.

Aston Villa transfer rumours

It could be a busy month for Villa and Unai Emery in the transfer market, with owners NSWE ready to fund a January signing blitz. This comes after an incredible start to the season that has seen the club battling for top spot in the Premier League alongside the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.

Premier League Top Four

Matches

Wins

Draws

Losses

Points

GD

1. Liverpool

20

13

6

1

45

25

2. Aston Villa

20

13

3

4

42

16

3. Man City

19

12

4

3

40

24

4. Arsenal

20

12

4

4

40

17

Reports have claimed that Villa want to sign two new attackers, with RB Salzburg attacker Oscar Gloukh one player who has been linked. Other forwards named as possible targets have been Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, Cyril Ngonge from Hellas Verona and Leicester City’s Keleci Iheanacho.

However, there could also be some exits to deal with, including looking at potential loan options for several young talents, and a new update as shared a development in that regard.

Kerr Smith update as defender leaves Aston Villa

Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke shared an update he’s heard from Aston Villa regarding youngster Kerr Smith. He stated that the 19-year-old has agreed a new two-year deal, with Villa also agreeing terms with St Johnstone for the player to complete a loan exit this month.

Villa are keen for the defender to get regular first-team experience and Smith will be ‘one of a number of Villa talents who will be loaned out in the January window as the club look to get their regular senior playing time’.

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Smith arrived at the club in 2022 from Dundee United, with academy manager Mark Harrison heaping praise on the player following his arrival, saying:

“We are delighted that Kerr has joined us, he is a player we have tracked and monitored for a long time.

“He has lots of potential but has already gained some fantastic experiences at first-team level with Dundee United, which is rare for a 17-year-old. We are really excited to see how he develops and hopefully one day we will see him become a regular in our first team.”

He was also praised by veteran defender Mark Connolly during their time at Dundee United, where Smith made 12 senior appearances before moving to England. Connolly said:

“Kerr, who played beside me, was fantastic. He’s 16 years of age and it’s incredible.”

Smith has gone on to make 51 appearances for Villa’s youth sides over the last two years but is awaiting his senior debut. Therefore, a return to Scotland to gain some senior game time over the second half of the season could prove to be a shrewd move in the long run, and by the looks of things, Villa still have high hopes for Smith in the Midlands following news of a new deal.

The banned Pakistan batsman pleaded not guilty after being charged by the UK’s National Crime Agency of conspiring to bribe players in the PSL

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2019Nasir Jamshed, the banned Pakistan batsman, is set to face trial in the UK after being accused of bribing cricketers in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).Jamshed and two UK nationals, Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz, were arrested in February 2017 as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing by the UK’s National Crime Agency.Jamshed, Anwar and Ijaz have been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the PSL to underperform. The offences are said to have taken place between November 2016 and February 2017. Anwar and Ijaz have also been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the Bangladesh Premier League, in late 2016.On Monday, all three defendants entered not guilty pleas at Manchester Crown Court. Their trial is set to take place at the same court, starting December 2. All three were granted unconditional bail and told to attend a pre-trial review hearing on September 6.In August 2018, Jamshed was given a 10-year ban by the PCB after being found guilty of five charges under its anti-corruption code.Five other players also received sanctions from the PCB over corruption charges relating to the 2017 PSL spot-fixing scandal. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were each banned for five years, while Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Irfan and Shahzaib Hasan received shorter suspensions.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is to be assessed on his strengths and weaknesses by the club's new technical director.

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Man Utd weigh up Ten Hag futureJob could be on the lineTechnical director tasked with auditWHAT HAPPENED?

Speculation and uncertainty over Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford is growing in the wake of Sunday's serious flirtation with an embarrassing FA Cup semi-final defeat against second tier Coventry, as well as consistently disappointing league results. Now that Jason Wilcox has been appointed technical director, joining from Southampton, the reports that he is tasked with carrying out an "audit" looking in detail at the manager's strengths and weaknesses, plus his overall suitability moving forward.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The possibility of a managerial change being made this summer stems from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club and takeover of sporting control. The 71-year-old billionaire raced to Wembley on Sunday after completing the London Marathon to witness the inexplicable collapse and the T hints that missing out on European qualification this season could be catastrophic for Ten Hag. Wilcox must also assess Ten Hag's relationship with the squad, which has come under scrutiny again after an incident involving Alejandro Garnacho 'liking' critical social media posts following last year's storm over Jadon Sancho. With the club's new sporting hierarchy wishing to implement an overarching style and philosophy, Ten Hag has to be seen as the right fit for that too. However, his saving grace could be the lack of an obvious successor.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ten Hag still has just over 12 months left on the three-year contract he signed when he arrived from Ajax in the summer of 2022, meaning United would likely have to be pay out compensation were he to leave the job any sooner. The Dutchman's staff – including Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag – would also likely follow him out of the door.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TEN HAG & MAN UTD?

United are 16 points adrift of the Premier League top four with only 18 left to play for – just one more win for Aston Villa would make Champions League qualification impossible. However, the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley next month gives hope that the season might not end trophy-less. Victory in that game, or a fifth or sixth place Premier League finish, would equate to Europa League football next season.

Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham Hotspur squad will know that falling to defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday will result in a four-match skid to throw their grip on Champions League qualification into the abyss.

The season is still far from reaching the crucial business end but with so many outfits pushing for prominence slip-ups could be detrimental, and falling to yet another loss in the Premier League would allow those below to potentially sink Spurs down to seventh.

Injury-hit Tottenham lost on home turf to Aston Villa last Sunday but did have their chances, with Giovani Lo Celso opening the scoring and the hosts taking 18 shots and hitting the target eight times.

City are formidable but their rearguard is not impregnable, as has been evidenced by RB Leipzig in the Champions League earlier this week, and Postecoglou will maintain a stoical belief that his side can whir into life with a galvanising performance.

Absences are rife, however, with the Australian manager set to potentially issue four changes for the trip to Manchester…

1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario

Thank goodness Guglielmo Vicario has remained steadfast in his availability and performance since joining from Italian side Empoli for an initial £17m in the summer, having been touted to become a "phenomenon" by Kosovo technical director Sami Ujkani.

He has saved 75% of shots faced in the Premier League this term, as per FBref, which is behind only Alisson and Andre Onana, and he will be expected to stand strong against the Sky Blues.

2 RB – Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro will retain his place down the right channel, providing energy and supplementing his offensive peers ahead, having posted three assists already in the Premier League this term.

The graph's delineation of Porro's skill set evidences his superlative offensive credentials, while also ranking highly within his tackling and blocking metrics.

The Spaniard will need to be on his a-game to stifle the fleet-footed Jeremy Doku, but he certainly boasts the physicality to do so.

3 CB – Eric Dier

Eric Dier has completed 362 appearances for Tottenham but has fallen by the wayside under Postecoglou's leadership, having flattered to deceive last season as his side struggled.

Postecoglou opted to field four natural full-backs in the backline last time out, but against City, this will be exposed and Dier's experience as a central defender will be needed, especially aerially, where he ranks among the top 11% of positional peers for aerial duels won per 90.

Emerson Royal must be the man to drop out, with the Brazilian winning just one ground duel and failing to make a tackle against Unai Emery's side last week.

4 CB – Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury and Cristian Romero's red card have provided Ben Davies with the platform to earn some minutes, having now started three of the past four games in the top flight after missing out from the outset across all nine of the opening fixtures.

Filling in at centre-half, the 30-year-old hasn't been half bad, completing 94% of his passes and. winning 70% of his ground duels thus far, as per Sofascore.

5 LB – Destiny Udogie

Spurs signed Destiny Udogie from Udinese in 2022 but he was immediately loaned back to the Serie A outfit, finally joining the fray this summer and proving to be one of the most exciting and dynamic young full-backs across Europe.

He won seven of his nine contested duels against Villa, made four tackles and completed 86% of his passes, and given that footballJOE's Hunter Godson remarked that he "gets into nearly every team in the world already", it's a big plus that he will start against Pep Guardiola's side.

6 DM – Yves Bissouma

Absent for the Aston Villa match last weekend after picking up a one-match suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards, Yves Bissouma will be the central cog in the engine room against Manchester City, having enjoyed a meteoric rise under his 58-year-old manager's guidance.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Discipline

Tackling

Aerial duels

Interceptions

*Sourced via WhoScored

As per FBref, the Malian midfielder ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles, the top 16% for interceptions, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for clearances per 90.

7 CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Pape Matar Sarr might be building back his fitness after missing out last week with injury but the exciting prospect might not be ready for a starting return against City, in what is sure to be a rigorous affair.

As such, the industrious Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg would be a worthy addition to the starting line-up, with the opportunity arising for the Dane after Rodrigo Bentancur's injury.

The 6 foot 1 "monster" – as he has been called by Morten Bisgaard – could provide the metronomic presence needed to fight against City's suffocating style.

8 CM – Giovani Lo Celso

Lo Celso's goal last weekend may well have secured him a place in Postecoglou's starting line-up for perhaps the most daunting fixture of the Premier League season (on paper, at least).

Enterprising and creative, the Argentinian ace also created three key passes and won seven ground duels against Villa, as per Sofascore, and he will be needed to act as the conduit between the midfield and the attack tomorrow.

9 RW – Dejan Kulusevski

Three goals and zero assists from 13 starts in the Premier League this season is a modest return but certainly not the stuff of awe, but Dejan Kulusevski's game is so much more.

Having completed 81% of his passes and averaged 2.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore, the robust Swede's energy and penetrating presence have been invaluable for Postecoglou.

He has scored and won two of his three matches against Pep Guardiola's side, and could be the difference-maker come Sunday.

10 LW – Brennan Johnson

Signed from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m in the summer, Brennan Johnson has capitalised on Richarlison's recent pelvic injury to prove his worth in this Spurs side.

While his team has toiled over recent weeks, the Welshman, aged 22, has impressed with his directness and "frightening" pace – as has recently been noted by content creator HLTCO.

Aston Villa are considering a move for a new forward in January, but there are two other clubs who are also hoping to bring him to the Premier League.

Aston Villa transfer targets

The Midlands outfit are looking to bolster their ranks in the final third and have most recently been linked with moves for two strikers in the form of Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy and AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham, but it’s not just players leading the line that they are searching for.

Football Insider have reported that NSWE, Monchi and Unai Emery are open to offers for Bertrand Traore at the start of next year, so they will need to enter the market to search for a suitable replacement on the right wing should he depart, and they have already set their sights on a potential candidate.

Sporting CP’s Geny Catamo has found it difficult to nail down a regular place in his first-team since graduating from their academy having made just 14 senior appearances to date, after being previously sent out on two development loans to Vitoria Guimaraes and Maritimo (Transfermarkt – Catamo statistics).

The Mozambique international still has just under another two years remaining on his deal (Sporting CP contracts), but knowing deep down that he’ll only receive more game time by making the move elsewhere, the 22-year-old has emerged on the radar at Villa Park.

Aston Villa keeping tabs on Geny Catamo

According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa are keen on Geny Catamo, alongside two other high-profile clubs in the top-flight in England.

“Arsenal are closely watching Mozambique international Geny Catamo of Sporting CP, FootballTransfers has been told. We understand that the 22-year-old is being monitored by a number of clubs ahead of 2024, including the Gunners, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.

"Our sources have informed us that the player could leave the Portuguese club as soon as the January transfer window, with a number of Premier League clubs watching the youngster in the Primeira Liga.”

Whilst Catamo hasn’t got much senior experience under his belt yet, Aston Villa will be aware that he’s got bags of potential to offer having showed promising signs by clocking up nine involvements (six assists and three goals) in 36 outings since the very start of his career.

Ruben Amorim’s left-footed £4k-per-week earner (Sporting CP salaries), also currently ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and attacking touches in the opposition's penalty area (FBRef – Catamo statistics), displaying his ability to use his pace and dribble past his marker to create chances for himself and his fellow teammates in the final third.

Furthermore, Catamo, who has had a taste of what it’s like to compete in the Champions League, has the versatility to operate in the midfield and on the wing of both the left and right flanks alongside in the centre of the park, so he could certainly be a fantastic recruit for the long-term future of the club should the board decide to fully pursue a deal in January.