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Aston Villa lost for the third match in succession last weekend as they were beaten 4-2 by table-topping Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Villans came into the match off the back of defeats to Leicester and Manchester City and made a brilliant start to the game as they led 1-0 and 2-1, only for the away side to rally in the second half.

How did Emi Martinez perform against Arsenal?

One player who came under fire for his role in Arsenal’s comeback was goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentina international’s time-wasting tactics throughout the match led to eight minutes of stoppage time, which allowed the visitors to score twice in that added-on period.

Jorginho put the Gunners put 3-2 up in the 93rd minute as his terrific strike from distance cannoned back off the crossbar and went in off Martinez’s head, before the Villa giant decided to come up for a corner and Mikel Arteta’s side countered to leave Gabriel Martinelli with an open goal to make it 4-2.

Unai Emery must now ruthlessly cash in on the former Arsenal goalkeeper, whose role in the defeat last weekend and his form throughout the campaign suggests that Villa could benefit from raking in a big transfer fee for him this summer.

The 51-year-old was not happy with the shot-stopper’s role in the fourth Arsenal goal on Saturday and made it clear that it was not his plan, saying: “He decided in the last action to go to the corner offensively, but I don’t like it.

“But I told him nothing, before or after because in all my career I have never told our goalkeepers to do it and the statistical data is going against the teams that are going with the goalkeeper more than scoring any goals.”

Speaking on Match of the Day, the Villa manager added: “Today, I am very, very disappointed. I am embarrassed about the last goal. I have never told my ‘keeper to go forward. It’s not the spirit. We have to keep our mind clear and be smart.”

Emery must now ruthlessly ditch the colossal 6 foot 5 goalkeeper, as the reported transfer interest in the Argentine’s services could allow the club to cash in on him and reinvest it in multiple positions.

Martinez, who was affectionately dubbed a “mad man” and “one of my favourite players” by journalist Callum Altimas following his antics with the World Cup Golden Glove trophy, is reportedly being eyed by Inter, Juventus and Atletico Madrid, and a potential price tag of £40m has been mentioned.

Since the start of last season, the 30-year-old has conceded five more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to from the post-shot xG he has faced in the Premier League, allowing 2.1 more than expected this term after letting in 3.9 more in the 2021/22 campaign.

These statistics indicate that the Argentine monster is a below-average shot-stopper, although he does rank in the top 1% of goalkeepers in Europe’s main five leagues for the percentage of crosses stopped over the last 365 days, and Villa could find an upgrade on him with the £40m fee they could rake in for his services.

Factoring in Martinez’s time-wasting antics, his decision to go against his manager’s wishes against Arsenal, and his disappointing shot-stopping statistics, Emery must capitalise on the interest in the goalkeeper and cash in on him this summer.

Everton have been boosted by the news that forward Anthony Gordon is no longer wanted by Chelsea and Tottenham, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Gordon linked with Everton exit

Despite a slight dip in form this term, the 21-year-old has indisputably grown into one of the Blues’ most important players, coming through the youth system and scoring seven goals to date.

Gordon was linked with move away from Everton during the summer transfer window, but in the end, he stayed put at Goodison Park for the time being.

While speculation has continued to surround his future, a positive update has now emerged.

The Latest: Romano provides update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano claimed that a new deal was on the table for Gordon, while Chelsea and Spurs have turned their attention elsewhere:

“Everton have offered Anthony Gordon a new deal, let’s see how talks will go in the next months. Chelsea have decided to invest in Mykhaylo Mudryk so they’re not in talks to sign Gordon now.

“Tottenham monitored him in the last few months but they now feel they need different players as a priority.”

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The Verdict: Blues need more from him

This is an obvious boost for Everton, with Gordon one of the most gifted players at the club, having been hailed as ‘different class’ by teammate James Tarkowski.

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That being said, Frank Lampard needs much more from the youngster at the moment, with only three goals coming his way in the Premier League this season.

Last term, some of his performance helped pull Everton clear of the relegation zone and exactly the same now needs to happen this time around.

Michael Beale could be set to face somewhat of a midfield conundrum at Glasgow Rangers this summer.

Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, and Ryan Jack are all out of contract come the end of the campaign, whereas loan players Malik Tillman and James Sands – unless signed on permanent deals – will return to their parent clubs.

This could leave a gaping hole in the heart of the Rangers side and the recently-appointed manager will be using both the January and summer transfer windows to sign players who could form the basis of the Light Blues midfield going forward.

The 42-year-old has reportedly targeted a move for St Mirren star Keanu Baccus, although he could make a surprise move for a former Rangers teen sensation in John Fleck, who left the club back in 2012.

Fleck could be the ideal Davis heir

With the news of Davis being ruled out for the end of the season and unlikely to play for the club again after suffering a serious knee injury in training, Beale will be looking for a heir to the 38-year-old.

Former Gers striker Kris Boyd urged the club to make a move for Fleck, who is out of contract this summer while speaking on Sky Sports:

“I think Michael Beale has spoken about it that the central midfield area is one he wants to strengthen,” he said. “He’s lost Stevie Davis and it’s not ideal but I wouldn’t be rushing in and just grabbing players for the sake of it, especially in January.

“There are players out of contract and I think the obvious one for me would be John Fleck at Sheffield United.

“Michael Beale has spoken about it like I’ve said before and I think John has been at Rangers before and knows and has been brought up on it. He is a different player from the one that left Rangers but people like that would be on my radar.”

The £23k-per-week star was dubbed “incredible” by his former manager Chris Wilder and Fleck has impressed in his 11 appearances in the Championship for Sheffield United this season.

His attacking credentials are underlined by the 31-year-old making 1.5 key passes per match while creating four big chances and despite not scoring himself, he is more than capable of generating plenty of opportunities for teammates.

By making 1.4 tackles per game and winning 58% of his total duels, Fleck can also contribute well defensively and this will be an added bonus for Beale.

Davis will be a hard person to replace, with his experience and winners mentality feeding off to the young talents around Ibrox, however, Fleck was once one of those players at Rangers, playing alongside Davis for a couple of seasons and he knows the club extremely well.

Despite suffering from various injury issues this season, including a broken leg back in August, making a move for Fleck in the summer could be a cost-effective way to add a solid midfielder into the squad, while also boosting the home-grown criteria for the Champions League in the process.

YouTuber Conor McGilligan has claimed that Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk may be dropped to make way for new signing Max Wober.

What’s the word?

With the January transfer market now officially open, it seems as though the Whites are close to completing their first deal of the winter.

Indeed, the defender has now been officially announced as a Leeds United player.

With that in mind, while speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan discussed where he expects the new signing to fit in with Jesse Marsch’s team.

He said: “I think he’s [Struijk’s] going to be dropped. That’s what I think.

“Maybe I’m being a bit unrealistic there but with the scenario if Wober is to come in, obviously he’s got to earn his place.

“I know there’s a lot of you guys who will be saying no chance Pascal’s dropped, and I’m in the same boat, he shouldn’t be dropped.

“But I just cannot see Jesse Marsch dropping Liam Cooper.”

Defensive decisions

Up to this point in the Premier League season, Struijk has been trusted to play all of his games for Leeds at left-back. However, he has spent the bulk of his career as a centre-back.

Interestingly enough, these two positions are where Wober has been asked to play up to this stage in the campaign for RB Salzburg. However, he has operated from the left on a more regular basis.

With that in mind, the new man may well be viewed as an option to come in and play as a fullback  – especially as Junior Firpo has struggled for fitness in recent times too.

However, it’s not as if the club have a faultless backline – having conceded six more league goals than they’ve scored this term – and so perhaps Marsch wants to bolster the heart of his defence by adding Wober in as a centre-back.

Only time will tell.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has been reacting to Aston Villa’s interest in Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram.

The Lowdown: Emery determined

Villa appear to be on the hunt for an attacking addition in the New Year, and it seems as if Unai Emery has personally set his sights on Thuram.

Reports have suggested that Emery himself is ‘determined’ to sign the 25-year-old as he looks to take Villa into Europe, with the club possibly only needing €10m (£8.6m) in the New Year.

The France international is currently at the World Cup in Qatar and is out of contract with Monchengladbach at the end of the season, lowering his price tag.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Talking to GiveMeSport regarding Villa and Thuram, Jones said that a move to the Midlands ‘would be a proper bargain’, adding that the player has also been offered to ‘some bigger clubs’.

“That would be a proper bargain if they could get that one done.

“I think a lot of it will depend on what other clubs show interest here because he’s being offered around to some bigger clubs than Aston Villa.”

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Thuram is valued at €30m by Transfermarkt, so a potential €10m move could be a bargain as Jones claims. He can play anywhere across the front three, something Emery is after, and has netted 59 times during his career so far.

Therefore, Villa may be hoping to wrap up a winger window transfer as soon as possible, especially as Emery is a big fan and Thuram is also being offered around elsewhere.

Carlos Corberan would have been keen to build upon his first victory as manager of West Bromwich Albion in midweek, and a fine win on the road today against promotion-chasing Queens Park Rangers certainly came as a surprise considering the Baggies’ position in the relegation zone.

In a game where he started without a recognised striker, it was clear that the Spaniard had a gameplan which relied upon blistering speed on the break. This was applied with Matt Phillips, Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace all starting in a front three.

Whilst none of them exerted their offensive will on the home side, it was the creative presence just behind them which truly stole the show.

John Swift, who has been the Baggies’ highest-rated player so far this term, continued to shine under the new manager with a display worthy of winning any match.

Although the headlines may go to goalscorer and clean sheet holder Kyle Bartley, who did boast the highest SofaScore rating of the match, the unsung heroics of the 27-year-old were instrumental in their victory. His rating of 7.6 was not far behind the match-winner.

Without a target man to hit for large parts of the game, at times the midfielder was starved of the ball. When he did get it, though, there was a pinpoint accuracy which at times left Michael Beale’s side helpless.

With his 56 touches, he managed to complete an exceptional five key passes, creating one big chance which won them the game as his wicked delivery was met by Bartley. To further showcase his influence and accuracy, he also recorded six completed crosses alongside an 80% pass accuracy.

Swift offered a steady pair of legs alongside the more defensive-minded Okay Yokusly and Jayson Molumby, who was more than happy to dig in when his team required it. This was outlined in his 15 duels in which he competed, while he even recorded one clearance and one tackle.

It was the quintessential all-round performance that Corberan needed to drag his team through this game, and West Brom are finally seeing flashes of the man who former Reading manager Veljko Paunovic dubbed “super talented”.

Having toppled the which that started the day in fourth, the result drags Albion closer to safety despite them remaining in the relegation zone.

Swift went somewhat under the radar today but stepped up to quietly be the star of the show at Loftus Road.

Southampton reportedly have a verbal agreement to appoint Nathan Jones as their new manager following Ralph Hasenhuttl’s departure. 

The Lowdown: Hasenhuttl’s exit

Following the Saints’ 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday, the south coast club decided to cut ties with Hasenhuttl, bringing an end to his tenure at St Mary’s on Monday morning.

It didn’t take long for Southampton to turn their attention to Jones, who was claimed to be the club’s first choice for a new manager.

It now appears that the Saints have taken a step closer to potentially appointing the current Luton Town boss as their new head coach.

The Latest: A verbal agreement

In a recent post on Twitter in which he shared a corresponding article for The Athletic, Southampton correspondent Jacob Tanswell shared an update on the situation.

He tweeted: “#SaintsFC have a verbal agreement in place with Luton Town for manager Nathan Jones. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with club wanting a new manager in before Liverpool. Not done yet, but the move is appearing likely.”

The Verdict: Quick work from Southampton

Given how quickly it has been from sacking Hasenhuttl to getting a verbal agreement from their reported first-choice replacement, this says to us that getting rid of the Austrian and having Jones on their radar has been in the pipeline for a while.

Across two spells in charge of Luton, the 49-year-old has overseen 302 games with the Championship club prior to tonight’s match against Stoke City. The Hatters have won 143 times on his watch, drawing 78 times and losing 81 matches along the way.

He got the club into the Championship play-offs last season despite the squad having the fourth-lowest market value in the division according to Transfermarkt.

While the Welshman has a decent amount of experience coaching and managing in English football, winning two promotions with the Hatters, Jones has yet to work in the Premier League.

That is why putting him in at the deep end at Southampton when they’re trying to avoid relegation could be a potential risk for the club.

Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson was criticised during his team’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Reds reign victorious…

Awaiting a tough task against the English champions, Reds supporters could’ve been forgiven for fearing the worst before kick-off given the contrasting fortunes of both teams.

However, as proven by recent years, you can never discount Jurgen Klopp’s men, especially at Anfield, with Liverpool running out 1-0 victors on Merseyside courtesy of a late strike from Mohamed Salah.

City thought they had taken the lead through Phil Foden but their effort was ruled out by VAR, with striker Erling Haaland adjudged to have fouled Fabinho in the build-up.

The crucial win keeps Liverpool in contention for a top-four place and there were many superb performers, but journalist Declan Carr believes that Robertson ‘really’ needs to work on one aspect of his game.

The Latest: Robertson criticised…

Indeed, the reporter criticised Liverpool’s left-back after missing a possible chance to test Ederson mid-way through the first half.

He said (via Twitter): “Robertson really needs to work on his shooting…”

The Verdict: Forgiven…

The Scotland international also lost possession 22 times on Sunday but can be forgiven for his arguable wastefulness this time round, especially since he put in quite a shift against City defensively.

He made five clearances over the 90 minutes and was only dribbled past once all day, cementing his authority as part of a back four which managed to keep out Pep Guardiola’s free-scoring champions.

Despite his fine defensive work, though, he could be more clinical at times when in possession, especially since he only found a team-mate with one out of his five attempted crosses yesterday.

Celtic had waited five long years to get themselves back into the promised land that is the Champions League, although just four games into life back in Europe’s premier competition and the Hoops’ hopes of progression are already at an end, with back-to-back defeats to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig proving costly.

The most recent loss to the German outfit at Parkhead will seemingly have been most frustrating for manager Ange Postecoglou, with the Old Firm giants squandering chance after chance to put themselves ahead, having enjoyed a stunning spell of pressure in the first half.

At the highest level, that lack of a clinical nature in front of goal is more than likely to be punished, with Marco Rose’s men subsequently showing their undoubted class to brutally clinch the points late on through Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg.

For all that wastefulness in the final third – which has left the Glasgow side scrambling to even secure a Europa League knockout stage berth with just a point in the current campaign thus far – in a defensive sense the hosts could have seemingly done little more, with stand-in skipper Cameron Carter-Vickers once again showing his quality at the heart of the backline.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man – who arrived in Scotland on an initial loan deal last summer before signing permanently in the recent window – has been a colossal presence for the club over the past year or so, having been “immense” during last season’s title triumph, in the words of pundit Chris Sutton.

That form has continued into the new campaign with the 24-year-old picking up five clean sheets from the opening seven league games thus far, while his injury absence was keenly felt in the shock defeat to St Mirren and in Saxony a week ago.

Back in the side for Tuesday’s crunch encounter, the £6.3m-rated titan looked imperious for much of the evening up against a fluid forward line of Andre Silva, Christopher Nkunku and the aforementioned Werner, notably winning 100% of his aerial duels and recording nine clearances on the night.

Not just a monstrous force defensively, the United States international also showcased his composure in possession as he recorded an impressive 90% pass accuracy rate from his 66 touches, having been a real ‘leader’ for Postecoglou’s side, in the words of Glasgow Live’s Ben Banks.

While the ten-cap gem’s match rating of 6.8, as per SofaScore, was far from eye-catching, the centre-back has enjoyed notable plaudits from across the game for his display, with Northern Ireland international Ryan McLaughlin dubbing him the “best centre half I’ve seen at Celtic since Van Dijk.”

That glowing assessment is a marker of just what an impact the defender has made during his relatively brief time with the Bhoys, with that man Virgil van Dijk no doubt some figure to be compared to, having sparkled for the club prior to his £13m exit for Southampton in 2015.

The towering Dutchman had been snapped up by former boss Neil Lennon for a measly £2.6m in 2013, although would go on to become a commanding figure in Scottish football, with ex-Hoops scout David Moss once remarking that “He is like a grown man playing in a children’s playground – he stands out like a sore thumb.”

The Liverpool “machine” – as dubbed by journalist Charlotte Coates – has proven a tough ask to try and emulate, although Carter-Vickers could be well way on his way to doing just that, having recently been dubbed the “best player in Scotland last season” by BT Sport’s Sutton (05/10/2022, 19:41).

On a largely disappointing night, the Southend-born sensation – who has been “excellent” at Celtic Park since his arrival, in the words of journalist Mark Hendry – was one of those who did more than enough to try and secure victory.

Aston Villa could unearth their next Jacob Ramsey in Travis Patterson.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder was named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation 2022’ list that profiles up-and-coming stars across the Premier League.

Earning recognition from a national newspaper so early in your career is certainly an encouraging sign of what may lie ahead, particularly as the likes of Aaron Ramsey (2019) and Ben Chrisene (2020) were all named on this exciting list in the past.

Patterson could be the next youngster to make the breakthrough at Bodymoor Heath.

The teenager is described by journalist Ben Fisher as an ‘athletic and determined’ playmaker, capable of playing as a no.8 and at full-back, and such an ability has already seen him feature for the U23 set-up at such a young age.

‘He is a dynamic, versatile player who is technically proficient and fluid in possession,’ the reporter added, earning some likeness to Ramsey – the former academy graduate now a big part of the first team.

Having signed a scholarship only in July, the Wolverhampton-born Patterson is playing well beyond his years, racking up eight appearances in the Premier League 2, as well as one outing in the EFL Trophy, thus far.

According to Football Insider, the 16-year-old has also attracted interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in recent months too, so his performances aren’t just making soundwaves in Birmingham.

Birmingham Mail writer John Townley has suggested that the Villa gem has been “excelling” through the ranks at Bodymoor Heath, only adding to his incredible potential for the club and maybe one day soon, it’ll catch the eye of first-team boss Steven Gerrard.

In Patterson, the Villans manager could well discover the club’s next Ramsey and whilst such recognition may increase the pressure on such a youthful talent, his versatile ability is evidently a big positive right now.

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