Looking to bridge the gap between themselves and the Premier League’s top four, Aston Villa have reportedly submitted a second offer worth over £15m to sign a Champions League talent this month.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans enjoyed quite the summer transfer window, welcoming names such as Amadou Onana ahead of a number of sides, but that has not seen them repeat last season’s achievements as of yet. Sat ninth in the Premier League and struggling to juggle both European and domestic football for the first time, Unai Emery’s side could still do with some fresh faces this month, as their 2-2 draw against Brighton highlighted last time out.

With that said, names such as Yasin Ozcan have already been mentioned as the January transfer window rolls on. Recent reports even went as far to suggest that those in the Midlands have already agreed a deal to sign the young central defender from Super Lig side Kasimpasa. Whether that deal goes over the line remains to be seen, however.

Duran replacement: Aston Villa chasing exciting Donyell Malan alternative

Villa are targeting a new attacker to add more goals

ByJoe Nuttall Jan 3, 2025

He’s seemingly not the only target either. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Aston Villa have submitted a second bid worth €18m (£14.9m) + add-ons to sign Donyell Malen after their initial bid was turned down by Borussia Dortmund who want more than €20m (£17m) guaranteed.

The German club are ready to sell their winger, as relayed by Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, but are seemingly in no mood to accept a cut-price. With negotiations ongoing, however, it’s clear that Aston Villa are not giving up in pursuit of securing Malen’s signature.

A player who can play on the right-hand side and lead the line, Malen’s arrival could create instant concern for Leon Bailey, who has struggled to replicate last season’s impressive form.

"Incredible" Malen could complete Aston Villa attack

Bailey’s form should worry those at Villa Park, who will be desperate to see their goals shared around rather than solely rely on Ollie Watkins or Jhon Duran – often from the bench – provide the golden touch. Without a goal all season and with just three assists to his name in 22 appearances in all competitions, the winger is quickly becoming a point of weakness that Malen could arrive to solve instantly.

Starts

6

11

Goals

3

0

Assists

0

2

Expected Goals

2.8

1

The stats suggest that, whilst Malen desperately needs a move away from Dortmund this month, he has remained clinical in front of goal – scoring three goals in just six starts. Bailey, meanwhile, has struggled to carve opportunities and struggled to become the attacking spark that Villa benefitted from throughout the last campaign.

Despite where he finds himself at the German club, Malen was at the centre of Sebastian Kehl’s praise in 2023. The sporting director told WAZ as relayed by BVB Buzz: “We’ve known for months that he has incredible potential, and we knew that last year as well.

“He is an incredibly enriching element for this team, that was the idea behind his signing and I’m glad he’s showing that much more often now. The last step was still missing for him and he has taken it now. Donny has gained incredible self-confidence.”

A heated promotion battle is beginning to form at the top of the Championship table with Sheffield United now currently holding first position at the expense of Leeds United

As was shown last season too, the Whites are prone to slip up on the big stage, with their promotion dreams in tatters after a sobering play-off final defeat to Southampton at Wembley.

The South Yorkshire side had to lick their own wounds last summer too after relegation, with Wilder overjoyed that his team have managed to bounce back to be so close to those automatic promotion positions.

The 57-year-old will be well aware that strengthening his squad this January could prove to be make-or-break for their promotion chances, with Tom Cannon sticking out as one notable target who could fire them back up to the top flight.

Sheffield United's ongoing chase of Tom Cannon

Reports in recent days have indicated that the promotion chasers had put forward a £7m bid to try and win the sharp shooter’s services this January, only for that development to feel insignificant with Sunderland now reportedly willing to fork out almost double to try and tempt the Irishman to Wearside.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Whoever does end up securing the former Stoke City man will be winning themselves a striker capable of steering his next side up to the Premier League, with Cannon finding the back of the net nine times in the league for Stoke before that loan spell was cut short, which is made to look more impressive considering the Potters lie all the way down in 19th spot in the Championship standings.

Whilst a lot of the conversation coming out of Bramall Lane centres on the potent 22-year-old, there will be other targets still on Wilder’s mind, including a potential new midfield addition who has worked under the passionate manager before.

Sheffield United chasing another Leicester star

As per a report by Football Insider earlier this month, Cannon isn’t the only Leicester ace the Blades want. Indeed, the South Yorkshire outfit had allegedly been in ‘advanced talks’ with the Foxes over signing reserve man Hamza Choudhury this month.

Noted as being an ideal long-term replacement for an injury-stricken Ollie Arblaster in the same report, it will be intriguing to see if a move does whir back into motion soon, with the 27-year-old excelling in the Championship previously in his career.

After all, he shone at the level under the guidance of Wilder when the pair were briefly together at Watford, with Choudhury up to 83 second-tier appearances in total away from his standout Hornets stint.

Indeed, during his time at Vicarage Road, Choudhury stuck out as a combative holding midfield option for his side, with Wilder needing more of those in his current Blades camp, considering academy product Sydie Peck has had to play here this campaign.

Games played

36

Games started

36

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches*

54.0

Accurate passes*

34.1 (84%)

Interceptions*

2.3

Tackles*

3.0

Total duels won*

5.1

Clean sheets

8

As can be seen when looking at the table above, the 27-year-old wouldn’t win much praise for his attacking output at Watford, but he did battle hard throughout his time at the club with 5.1 total duels won on average per league clash.

With Choudhury shoring up the Blades upon his arrival, he could well strike up an effective partnership with the more attacking Gustavo Hamer.

He is now being deployed down the left wing and by signing someone like Choudhury, it would gift the ex-Coventry City star more freedom to attack without worrying about his defensive duties.

Hamer has helped himself to six goals this season from his further forward position in the team, with the on-fire number 8 arguably wasted in a more defensive position.

That’s where the “excellent” Choudhury – as he was labelled by football journalist Josh Bunting – can come in and make a difference, as Wilder’s squad potentially grows more and more as January goes on.

Imagine him & Cannon: Sheffield United target the 'world's fastest player'

Sheffield United could look again to the lower depths of the EFL for this January signing.

ByKelan Sarson Jan 16, 2025

Gregg Berhalter's side shattered their home attendance record as fans flocked to Soldier Field

62,358 fans attend Chicago Fire vs Inter Miami matchSurpasses previous high of 62,124 set in 2023Messi's presence continues to drive MLS attendanceGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

Lionel Messi’s arrival in the MLS and the United States has transformed and sparked a surge of interest in the MLS and soccer. The league has witnessed a surge in attendances across Inter Miami games, with Chicago Fire the latest to reap the benefits.

The Fire hosted Inter Miami at Solider Park Sunday and set a new home attendance record, as 62,358 fans packed Soldier Field for what ended as a 0-0 draw.

AdvertisementWHAT THE CHICAGO FIRE POSTEDTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The match between Chicago and Miami ended went scoreless. Messi who played the full 90 minutes and had five shots with two on target – a pair of free-kicks hit the woodwork. But neither team managed to find the back of the net.

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Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

Following their draw with Miami, Chicago remain in eighth place with 12 points and are six points behind Eastern Conference leaders Columbus Crew. They host FC Cincinnati next on April 19 and then go on the road to face Nashville SC on April 26.

تعرّض رامي ربيعة، مدافع النادي الأهلي، لإصابة مفاجئة خلال مواجهة فريقه أمام النادي المصري البورسعيدي، التي تُقام مساء اليوم الإثنين على ملعب الجيش ببرج العرب، ضمن الجولة الخامسة من المرحلة النهائية لتحديد بطل الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وجاءت الإصابة في توقيت حساس للغاية، بعدما استقبل الأهلي هدفًا مبكرًا في الدقيقة السادسة من بداية اللقاء، ما أربك حسابات الجهاز الفني بقيادة عماد النحاس، الذي اضطر لإجراء تغيير اضطراري في الدقيقة 14 بدخول المدافع الشاب مصطفى العش بدلًا من ربيعة، الذي غادر الملعب متأثرًا بالإصابة.

فيديو | صلاح محسن يسجل هدف المصري الأول أمام الأهلي

وظهر رامي ربيعة متألمًا بشكل واضح عقب سقوطه على أرضية الملعب، وسط تدخل سريع من الجهاز الطبي، لكن المحاولات لإبقائه داخل المستطيل الأخضر باءت بالفشل، ليقرر الجهاز الفني استبداله تفاديًا لتفاقم الإصابة، خاصة في ظل ضغط المباريات خلال المرحلة الأخيرة من المسابقة.

وتُمثّل إصابة ربيعة ضربة موجعة لدفاع الأهلي، الذي كان يعاني بالفعل من غيابات في الخط الخلفي، لا سيما مع إصابة محمود متولي، وابتعاد عدد من اللاعبين عن الجاهزية الكاملة، وهو ما قد يضع الجهاز الفني في ورطة قبل الجولات المقبلة، التي ستشهد صدامات قوية في صراع القمة.

ومن المنتظر أن يخضع ربيعة لفحوصات طبية دقيقة عقب نهاية المباراة لتحديد طبيعة الإصابة ومدة غيابه المحتملة.

Arsenal may well have secured a 1-0 victory over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday but it wasn’t without an almighty struggle, yet an immense show of character.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off in controversial circumstances in the first half for tripping Matt Doherty and from that moment onwards, it was another uphill battle for Mikel Arteta’s side.

They have faced a number of setbacks this season, notably with red cards, but this was perhaps one of the most puzzling yet.

Alas, Arsenal fought hard and through unlikely goalscorer Riccardo Calafiori, they found their winner in the second half.

What the game did underline, however, was a further need for a goalscorer. Kai Havertz missed a succession of chances once again and as a result KSE simply have to spend this January if they want to give Arteta the best chance of winning the Premier League title.

Just hours after the game Erling Haaland was scoring again and despite not being truly at the races this term, his goals have been the difference in the last two title races. Arsenal could certainly do with their own version of the Norwegian superhuman.

Arsenal’s hunt for a centre forward

As it happened, the Gunners came up against one of their reported targets in Matheus Cunha this weekend who fortunately for Arteta, couldn’t get the better of William Saliba and Co.

Meanwhile, another target, Alexander Isak, was celebrating a further two goals for Newcastle United at the same time.

While that was happening, Havertz missed another simple opportunity and demonstrated why a player like Cunha or Isak is needed.

That being said, there’s another centre forward who could well arrive at the Emirates Stadium in 2025. His name is well known to supporters now; Benjamin Sesko.

The RB Leipzig forward was a priority target for Arsenal last summer but he ultimately penned a new deal with the Bundesliga outfit and stayed in Germany.

Now rated at around £70m by some reports, he’s still on the club’s radar, but according to new claims from transfer insider Ben Jacobs, via Football Transfers, a deal is difficult to do in January.

The reporter did have some positive news for Arsenal fans, however, saying that he would prefer the north Londoners over other suitors.

Jacobs said: “Last summer when the project was pitched from Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, Sesko picked Arsenal and then made a secondary choice of whether it was now or to stay at Leipzig.

“With Sesko, some contact has been made with Leipzig to understand whether anything is possible. Even though Leipzig are out of the Champions League, they’re pushing in the cup and to qualify again next season. It’s going to take a crazy offer or be impossible in January because Leipzig’s position is very firm.”

How Sesko compares to Erling Haaland

Manchester City have been a dominant force in English football for a while now but the aforementioned Haaland has really taken them to the next level since he signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

In 2022/23, they won the treble as City finally got over the line in the Champions League. That term, the inevitable Norwegian scored a mindblowing 52 goals.

While there was not a consecutive Champions League title in 2023/24, they did win the league again on the way to Haaland bagging 38 times.

Arsenal evidently miss that. Bukayo Saka was the club’s top marksman last season with 20 goals and this time around, their top scorer is Havertz on 14, ten behind Haaland’s tally.

So, signing an out-and-out goalscorer like Sesko certainly ticks a lot of boxes. The Slovenian has scored 14 times in 27 outings in 2024/25 but at the age of 21, his potential for growth is still immense.

He’s also got an extraordinary profile. Right-footed and standing at 6 foot 5, the tall and powerful striker has a cannon of a shot and a lengthy running pattern to race beyond defenders.

In a nutshell, he’s like Haaland. That’s the viewpoint of many in the know, including talent scout Jacek Kulig who has described him as “the new Erling Haaland”.

Data analyst Ben Mattinson elaborated on that comparison via social media, explaining that Seko is an “an amazing athlete with elite range of movement that enables acrobatic improvised finishes.” He continued that the young Slovenian is “the type of striker who throws his body at the ball to score. Sesko scores with style & finesse. Similar to a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic, mixed with Erling Haaland.”

So how do the pair compare over the last two years?

Goals

0.73

0.88

Assists

0.13

0.12

Shots

2.58

3.98

Shots on target

1.39

1.94

Key passes

0.63

0.96

Progressive passes

1.56

0.80

Successful take-ons

1.16

0.44

Carries

16.3

11.6

Progressive carries

1.56

1.02

Aerials won

2.45

1.50

Unsurprisingly the City sensation is streets ahead for goals. No one is going to rival him there but there are some parallels. That said, it actually looks as though Sesko is the more well-rounded striker, offering different types of attributes, chiefly the ability to carry the ball further, beat a man and hold the ball up with a higher percentage of aerial duels won.

As Mattinson further describes, the Leipzig forward is a “diamond in the rough” and at the age of 21, can only get better as he seeks out some of the records Haaland has broken in years gone by.

Is this the Haaland-like signing to catapult the Gunners to the next level? Arteta will certainly hope so if he can conclude a deal.

He completed only 43% passes: 5/10 Arsenal man proved KSE have to spend

Arsenal sealed a big win away at Wolves despite going down to ten men.

ByMatt Dawson Jan 25, 2025

The season will commence on August 30 with the National T20 Cup and will end with the 50-over Pakistan Cup on January 3

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2022

The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will continue to be played on a double-league basis•PCB

The PCB has ushered in a number of major changes to the domestic structure for the 2022-23 season, where 187 matches will be played across formats over five months starting August 30.The second XI tournaments, played between six teams, will now be played on a double-league basis across formats. In the T20 tournament, each side will play a minimum of ten matches and a total of 30 matches as compared to the previous seasons when the event was held on a single-league basis with 15 matches overall. The three-day tournament that used to be played as a pathway to first-class cricket will now be played over four days [though it still won’t be a first-class tournament], and just like the T20s and the 50-over tournaments, each side will get a minimum of ten matches in a total of 30.The domestic season will commence with the National T20 Cup, which will be held in Rawalpindi and Multan from August 30 to September 19. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier first-class event, will continue to be played on a double-league basis, and will run from September 27 to November 30. The season will end with the 50-over Pakistan Cup, which will be staged in Karachi from December 10 to January 3.The board has also rejigged the venues this season and slotted a significant chunk of the first-class and second-grade cricket in the northern part of the country, including Abbottabad, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The final stages will take place in Karachi, where a new venue – the Naya Nazimabad Stadium – is set to get first-class status.The season will be wrapped up in January, unlike the previous seasons where domestic cricket was usually played from September to March.”We have introduced a new concept whereby the non-first-class CA [provincial associations] Championship matches will be four-day fixtures,” Nadeem Khan, OCB’s director of high performance, said in a statement. “This will ensure the matches are well-contested and result-oriented, and the players get full opportunity to make the best of these games.”This will also help in narrowing the gap with our first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in which only the best of the best participate. We have also tried to streamline the player development and progression. Now, a talented U-19 cricketer will not have to wait until the next year before playing in the seniors’ competition.”I am sure that this year, we will see a few outstanding U-19 cricketers from the CCA, CA and National tournaments that will feature in the topline events, as the pathways events have been designed to lead into the main competitions.”The PCB has completed its review of all the coaches from last season and is set to announce the appraisals soon. The teams for each association will be selected next month.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Real Madrid "have to throw everything in the bin" to stage a comeback after their defeat to "better quality" Arsenal.

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Article continues below

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• Real Madrid went down 3-0 to Arsenal
• Ancelotti lavished praise on the Gunners
• Believes a comeback is "very difficult"

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Declan Rice delivered a masterclass from dead-ball situations, scoring two sublime free-kicks that sent shockwaves through the Madrid camp. Mikel Merino added to the damage with a composed strike from the edge of the area, sealing a comprehensive 3-0 victory for the Gunners.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  The Italian coach was brutally honest in his post-match assessment, acknowledging that Arsenal outclassed his team both tactically and technically.

  "We have to throw everything in the bin," Ancelotti admitted. "It’s very difficult to recover… their quality is very high, so organised."

  Madrid’s performance lacked the intensity and resilience the club is known for, especially on big European nights. While they often grow stronger in the final stages of matches, this time they failed to mount any serious response after falling behind.

  "Normally this team raise their game towards the end of games," Ancelotti told reporters. "It was disappointing, it was poor. We have to be critical of ourselves here and do everything we can next week to recover."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the heavy setback, history offers Real Madrid a lifeline. The Spanish giants have built a reputation for dramatic comebacks at the Santiago Bernabeu, with legendary turnarounds littered throughout their European history. One of the earliest examples dates back to the 1970s when they overturned a three-goal deficit against Derby County.

  "The possibilities (of qualifying) are quite low, but we have to try 100%," Ancelotti continued. "We have to do all we can, it's an opportunity to show a response to a poor game. If you look at the game tonight, there is no possibility. But football changes. Nobody expected that Rice scores two goals from set pieces. In football, everything can happen. We need to believe, we need to have trust because, sometimes, a lot of time in the Bernabeu, it happened."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Real Madrid will need to be flawless in the second leg, which is set for April 16. Their task will not only be to shut down a vibrant Arsenal attack but to rediscover the clinical edge that was glaringly absent at the Emirates.

Beams had been set to take charge of Tasmania’s WNCL title defence

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2022Salliann Beams is set to step away from her successful coaching posts after being named Cricket Tasmania’s new general manager of high performance just a few months out from the start of the WNCL and WBBL.Beams coached Tasmania’s women’s team to the WNCL title last season and had signed an extension to remain coach of Hobart Hurricanes but has opted to move back into a high performance role taking over the job vacated by Simon Insley earlier this year.Beams is currently in the UK coaching the Trent Rockets in the women’s Hundred but will return to Australia to oversee Tasmania’s men’s and women’s cricket program, which will be a return to high performance and away from coaching, having previously been the Cricket Performance Manager at Loughborough University in England.”When I had the chance to sit back and really think about my own career progression, this is the direction I really want to head in as I am passionate about creating the best high performance systems and people,” Beams said.”I had a great working relationship with Simon and his departure was a surprise and I was really sad to see him go, and it wasn’t until the dust had settled from that that the potential of this opportunity really dawned on me.”Having signed a [head coach] contract extension back in May, this clearly wasn’t something I’d planned, but the opportunity to work in the male system while still working with the same players and staff in the women’s program made it really enticing to me.”Jeff [Vaughan, Tasmania and Hurricanes men’s head coach] and I have always collaborated really well together, and we have a great team of coaches and support staff across the entire department, so I’m looking forward to watching a lot of success unfold on the field this season across all five of our elite teams, as well as working to develop and implement the strategy of how we’re going to further improve Tasmanian elite cricket in the medium- to long-term.”The opportunity to stay within the organisation after leaving a head coaching role is an exciting one, and something I am grateful for. The organisation has achieved a lot in recent years and I can’t wait to play a role in ensuring Tasmanian cricket reaches its potential in the future.”Salliann Beams coached Tasmania coached Tasmania to the WNCL title last season•Getty ImagesIt leaves Cricket Tasmania searching for a new WBBL and WNCL coach with the season not too far away, but CEO Dominic Baker said the general manager appointment was a critical one to get right.”Filling such a crucial role like a high performance manager is always a mammoth task, and as you would expect, the quality of the applications we received was exceptional,” Baker said.”To have the best person for this role already within this organisation was a bonus for us. We pride ourselves on our people, and Salliann’s plan and vision for the future of high performance presented to us through the recruitment process was exceptional.”She has already shown us that she is a great coach, but as well as the technical side of things, she is an excellent strategist, and always looking for ways that we can be better, not just on the field in the short-term, but to ensure the future of Tasmanian cricket is sustainable for years to come.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Os rubro-negros mais atentos aos assuntos em alta nas redes sociais, notaram que a hashtag#VoltaJJ é tendência no Twitter. Parte da torcida do Flamengo tem se mobilizado pelo retorno de Jorge Jesus às vésperas do início de sequência crucial para Paulo Sousa, com cinco jogos consecutivos no Maracanã.

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Paulo Sousa está ciente da necessidade por vitórias imponentes diante de seu já impaciente torcedor, mesmo que a diretoria,que se mantém em silêncio, não cogite mudanças de rumo no momento.

A primeira de cinco partidas no Maracanã ocorrerá nesta terça, em duelo contra aUniversidad Católica, pelo Grupo H da Libertadores. As outras serão contra Goiás (Brasileiro), Sporting Cristal (Libertadores), Fluminense (Brasileiro) e Fortaleza (Brasileiro).

Diante dos chilenos, o tom das arquibancadasserá de cobrança e pressão, direcionadas ao treinador e a membros da direção do clube, que chegou a emitir uma nota oficial repudiando recentes xingamentos ao presidente, Rodolfo Landim – ouvidos no jogo entre Fla e Altos-PI, em Volta Redonda, pela Copa do Brasil, por exemplo.

> Veja e simule a tabela da Libertadores

A respeito de Jorge Jesus, o técnico chegou a dizer, quando aterrissou em Lisboa, após uma estadia ecoante no Rio em que teve o seu desejo de voltar ao Flamengo externado, que não trabalharia no Brasil no momento. Mas uma fatia da Nação seguirá fazendo coro pelo retorno do português, tanto que um novo “tuitaço”, com a hashtag #MisterNoFlamengo, está programado para esta noite.

Vale lembrar ainda que Jesus está em negociações avançadas com oFenerbahçe, da Turquia, que está em compasso de espera pelo treinador lusitano desde o fim do mês passado.