Category Uncategorized

Aston Villa have submitted a £26m bid for a “world-class” forward, with the move receiving the green light from manager Unai Emery.

Villa return to form in victory against Forest

Villa’s 11-game winning run was brought to an end by Arsenal in their final match of 2025, but they kicked off 2026 in very promising fashion, securing a 3-1 victory against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Ollie Watkins continued his improved form in front of goal, scoring for the fourth time in his last three Premier League outings, and Emery was clearly impressed by the performance, saying: “For him it is much, much better. Even when he wasn’t scoring, others were scoring. We need every player focused like him, and doing his task like him.”

The Spaniard then went on to describe the centre-forward as “fantastic”, while Donyell Malen, who has also been utilised at striker this season, has impressed too, chipping in with seven goals in all competitions.

However, with Aston Villa potentially looking to bolster their hopes of making a title push, they are keen to bring in another striker this month, and a €30m (£26m) offer has now been submitted for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia.

That is according to a report from Spain, which reveals Emery has now given the green light for Villa to make a move for the Spaniard, as he believes the Madrid ace is capable of making an immediate impact at Villa Park.

The Villans want to finalise a deal as quickly as possible, as they are keen to avoid being dragged into a bidding war, and they are confident the offer is high enough to tempt the La Liga club into a sale.

"World-class" Garcia may need to leave Real Madrid

When given the opportunity at Real Madrid, the 21-year-old has often impressed, most recently scoring a hat-trick as his side demolished Real Betis 5-1 in La Liga, while he also caught the eye at the Club World Cup in the summer.

Indeed, the youngster picked up four goals and one assist in six games in the USA, and journalist Zach Lowy believes his performances were top drawer.

However, consistent game time has been hard to come by for the centre-forward, who has largely been used as an impact sub late on in games this season, which suggests he may need to leave Madrid for the good of his career.

Related Aston Villa making "fascinating" move for £295k-per-week Man City star

The Villans mean business.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Although Watkins has returned to form as of late, the England international recently turned 30, which means it may be a savvy move to start thinking about potential long-term replacements, and Garcia has proven he could be up to the task.

What a whirlwind start to 2026 it has been for Chelsea Football Club.

In what is perhaps a surprising turn of events, Enzo Maresca has left after a string of poor results and has been relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge with immediate effect.

As is the done thing when a manager is removed from his post, the Blues released a club statement to confirm the news. It clarified that the club “believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track,” with half of the season still to go.

A new manager has yet to be confirmed, but rumours are already flying around.

Chelsea target Premier League manager to replace Maresca

One of the names flying around to replace the Italian in West London is Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. Of course, the two clubs are linked, with the French side also under the same BlueCo ownership as Chelsea.

However, those owners might instead look within the Premier League to find their new boss.

According to a report from the Mail, Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola is ‘being considered’ by the club, with Chelsea set to have an interim manager this weekend against Manchester City, and thus more time to find a manager.

Iraola is clearly one option that the Blues have as they hunt for Maresca’s replacement. What makes things slightly easier is the fact that he is out of contract down on the South Coast this summer.

That might reduce the compensation fee if he were to switch to Stamford Bridge mid-season.

Why Iraola would be a good appointment

There is no doubt that Cherries boss Iraola, a close childhood friend of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, is one of the most highly rated managers in the top flight. Journalist James Horncastle even went as far as saying that he is the “best coach in the Premier League,” which is huge praise indeed.

Well, whether or not you agree with that statement, there is no denying that the Spaniard has impressed at the Vitality Stadium. In 107 games in charge of the club, he’s won 40 of them, and has a positive goal difference, with his side scoring 166 times and conceding 160.

Iraola key stats at Bournemouth

Stat

Number

Games

105

Wins

40

Draws

27

Losses

38

Goals for

166

Goals against

160

PL points per game

1.35

Stats from Transfermarkt

Across the board, the 43-year-old has managed to get the Cherries somewhat punching above their weight. There have been some memorable results in there, which included a wonderful 3-0 win away from home against Manchester United.

It would certainly be a different appointment compared to if the Blues were to go and get Rosenior. The former Hull City gaffer has also impressed at Strasbourg, helping them to reach the Conference League this term.

The ex-Brighton and Hove Albion player certainly has a good record in charge of Le Racing out in Ligue 1, winning 51.61% of his games so far. He has also helped guide his side to some iconic wins along the way. In the Conference League this term, they beat Crystal Palace 2-1.

However, there is one thing that might swing it in Iraola’s favour, and that is the fact that he has Premier League experience. Rosenior, of course, has never managed in the top flight of England, just like Maresca hadn’t done before.

Subscribe for deeper insight into managerial moves Get the newsletter for concise, expert-driven breakdowns of managerial rumours, tactical shifts, and what potential hires mean for clubs such as Chelsea and Bournemouth, plus wider Premier League context to help you read between the lines.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Perhaps BlueCo will not want to risk making the same mistake which has ultimately led to Maresca’s demise despite success on a more global scale. Even though the Strasbourg manager would be easier to appoint, there might be a view that it’s a riskier move.

Provided Iraola adapts and plays more of a possession-based game as Maresca looked to implement, rather than focusing on quick vertical transitions, this might be a masterstroke of an appointment from the Blues.

Rosenior might be a more logical appointment, but Iraola could be the dream alternative. One thing is for sure, it is going to be a fascinating few days down at the Bridge.

Related Chelsea could finally sack Maresca & hire "one of the best coaches ever"

Chelsea could finally get rid of Enzo Maresca by appointing this standout replacement.

Posts ByKelan Sarson

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Dale Steyn’s late burst gave the first-day honours to South Africa after West Indies threatened to build a strong total © Getty Images

South Africa fought back on the opening day in Cape Town as Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini shared six wickets to limit West Indies to 240 for 8. A 106-run stand between Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had taken the sting out of the home side during a wicketless afternoon session before Ntini changed the complexion with a highly-charged spell. Steyn then began an efficient mopping-up job with his explosive mixture of yorkers and bouncers.West Indies, though, are still in contention on a tricky surface which made batting hard work throughout with 20 fours and two sixes in the day. A slow, bumpy outfield also cut down the value of shots as the Newlands playing area again raised questions and 240 is a better total than it appears. There was a period during the afternoon session, as Samuels and Chanderpaul began a repeat of last week’s performance in Port Elizabeth, when South African shoulders started to slump. Trailing in the series it was down to them to force the issue and Graeme Smith spent large parts of the day trying to stir his players into action.Ntini isn’t someone who usually needs much encouragement and when Smith brought him back after tea he lifted spirits. Samuels was providing another example of his new-found diligence at the crease with a 144-ball innings, but was eventually drawn into a push outside off stump and sent an edge through to Mark Boucher. Dwayne Bravo soon followed, another uncertain shot away from the body, this time collected by Jacques Kallis at second slip, as the momentum swayed. Bravo failed twice in Port Elizabeth and his dismissal exposed the lower order, which was unable to cope with Steyn’s new-ball burst.Denesh Ramdin was caught plumb after he was beaten by a full, swinging delivery and a repeat performance made a mess of Rawl Lewis’s stumps first ball. Jerome Taylor survived the hat-trick, but Steyn’s pace was again too much when he tried to defend a short ball and offered the simplest of return catches. The collapse of 5 for 54 highlighted the value of the earlier graft and West Indies were again indebted to Chanderpaul who steadied the innings following three wickets before lunch.They overcame the early loss of Daren Ganga, squared up by a beauty from Steyn, to tick along at a healthy rate. Chris Gayle didn’t need a second invitation to throw the bat and was in typical stand-and-deliver mode. His running wasn’t helped by the hamstring problem which has dogged him since Zimbabwe, but singles were not his main thought as he twice lifted the ball over the boundary.Smith gave his team their first talking-to at the drinks interval, clearly unimpressed by what he felt was a half-hearted effort from the quicks. The words appeared to have the desired effect and the scoring rate slowed while frustration grew for Runako Morton, who gave his wicket away with a lazy drive straight to mid-off as Kallis showed his partnership-breaking skills with another opening-over strike. A tight spell from Andre Nel was rewarded with the key wicket of Gayle, edging low to gully without any footwork where Neil McKenzie, recalled after three-and-half-years to replace Herschelle Gibbs, clung onto an excellent catch to his right.The stand between Samuels and Chanderpaul spanned 42 overs and once the hardness disappeared from the new ball it became a war of attrition as 77 runs came during the afternoon session. Samuels took 28 balls to open his account, although still pulled out a couple of piercing drives when the ball was overpitched, and offered a tough chance, on 2, when he chipped a return catch high to Ntini’s right in his follow through.Chanderpaul, too, didn’t set pulses – or the scoring rate – racing and in his first 101 balls managed one boundary. However, shortly before tea he took consecutive fours off Paul Harris, who bowled a 19-over spell split by tea, as the earlier hard work began to bring rewards. His technique is perfectly suited to conditions that call for grinding with the ball not coming onto the bat. After the middle-order slump his presence became even more important for West Indies as he registered another half century off 184 balls.His job is to eke out as many as he can from the last two wickets before the West Indies bowlers are given a chance. South Africa struggled in both innings on a friendlier surface in Port Elizabeth and only when they have had a turn will their chances of levelling the series become clear.

Shane Watson will be back in Australian colours for the CB Series finals © Getty Images

Shane Watson has been rushed back into Australia’s one-day team for the CB Series finals, replacing the injured Andrew Symonds. Shaun Tait’s ODI career is on hold despite an impressive start as he and Stuart Clark were left out of the 13-man squad.Watson, who has been hampered by hamstring injuries all season, made a successful return for Queensland just over a week ago. The selectors’ desire to balance their line-up with an allrounder ran into trouble on Friday when Symonds retired hurt against England. He required surgery that could keep him out of the World Cup and the selectors decided Watson was the logical replacement.Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said there were no concerns that Watson would break down again under the pressure of international cricket. “Shane has been given a full medical clearance and has successfully returned to domestic cricket,” Hilditch said. “We feel the time is now right for him to return to international cricket.”Hilditch said Watson’s comeback meant fewer bowlers were needed. “There is no need to continue with five specialist fast bowlers in the squad,” Hilditch said. “Both Stuart and Shaun were unlucky to be omitted and remain very much in contention for selection in the ICC Cricket World Cup squad, which will be named at the conclusion of the finals series.”Clark and Tait will both have opportunities to press their cases for World Cup selection in domestic games this week. Clark’s New South Wales will face Western Australia and Tait’s South Australia are up against Queensland.Although both bowlers made an impact in the CB Series, Brad Hogg, who has played only one match, was retained in the finals squad. “Hogg has played limited cricket so far in the Commonwealth Bank Series, however he has been in extremely good form in domestic cricket with both bat and ball,” Hilditch said. “We will look at his possible inclusion for the remaining games depending on the conditions we face at the different venues.”Squad Adam Gilchrist (wk), Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Brad Hodge, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.

New Zealand are looking to Lou Vincent to counterattack from the off against Australia © AFP

Lou Vincent will open the innings for New Zealand in their first ODI against Australia at Auckland on December 3.Vincent, one of the few to escape from his side’s tour of South Africa with his reputation intact, will partner Nathan Astle in the absence of Stephen Fleming, their captain and regular opener, who is recovering from facial surgery, as they seek to find a dominant opening pair who can exploit the first few overs, especially the Powerplays.”We’ll open with Lou and Nathan because we’re looking for an offensive start to the first 20 overs,” John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, told the . “We’re still working on our game-plan in that period. We’re anxious to develop something that we can carry into the [2007] World Cup, and a three-pronged attack at the top of the order continues to interest us.”Aside from Fleming’s absence, Shane Bond – who has a commendable record against Australia in one-day internationals – has been suffering from a stomach upset, but Bracewell is confident that he will be fit enough to resume his battle with the Australians:”He’s feeling a lot better and probably wanted to practise today but we left him at home as a precaution. He probably could have practised this afternoon and I’m confident he should be right for the match.”Bond, like many of his team-mates, struggled for form in South Africa, picking up just six wickets at the costly average of 35.16.”He’s still developing his game,” said Bracewell. “He had an outstanding tour of Zimbabwe and bowled well against India. But he met an international-class batting line-up in South Africa and it will be interesting to see how he’s developed from there.”

Murray Birnie, the Lancashire vice-chairman, has died of a heart attack in Johannesburg. He had been a Lancashire committee member for 24 years, and was in South Africa to watch the fourth Test at the Wanderers.Birnie, 67, a chartered mechanical engineer from Haslingden, joined the Lancashire committee in 1981 after playing local league cricket for 27 years. He was involved in all the major building developments at Old Trafford in recent years, and also organised highly successful testimonials for Lancashire stalwarts David Hughes, David Lloyd and Lancashire’s current chairman Jack Simmons.

The International Cricket Council’s flying squad, the Anti-Corruption Unit, has investigated the floodlight failure on the third day of the first Test between Bangladesh and England at Dhaka last month.The blackout occurred at the end of the third day’s play at a time when Bangladesh had just begun their first innings and were facing a hostile opening spell from Stephen Harmison. The investigation was prompted by questions as to why the power failure only affected the floodlights and not any other electrical supply on the ground. It was that which made the official Bangladesh Cricket Board explanation that there had been “a grid failure somewhere down the line” fodder for the conspiracy theorists.But reports in the newspapers indicate that the ACU enquiries produced little of substance, with the Daily Telegraph quoting an “insider” as saying that “the more questions the ACU asked, the more different answers they got”. The explanation could be far simpler – power supplies in Dhaka are notoriously unreliable and power cuts a far from rare occurrence.While it is extremely unlikely that the ACU will unearth anything concrete, it will be looking closely at the ODI series, where the second and third matches are day-nighters. The local power companies have been contacted and assurances obtained that there will be no repeat of the scenes at Dhaka.

The Kolkata police were made to toil hard to keep the enthusiastic crowdunder control during the days leading up to the first one-dayer at EdenGardens. The crowd scrambled desperately in a bid to buy the tickets butit was an impossible situation with more than half the population keento witness the match. This is what makes Kolkata unique and special andeventually the crowd was entertained by a superb display from bothteams. The hosts were made to work hard for their victory butunfortunately the incompetence of one umpire meant that they could notfully relish it.

© CricInfo

Marcus Trescothick threatened to “sweep” the game away from the Indianswith a superb knock. His innings was reminiscent of the match-winninginnings Gooch played way back in the 1987 Reliance World Cup semi-final.Trescothick was not fully fit and that made the manner in which heapplied himself all the more remarkable. He seemed to have worked out aplan and though he struggled in the early part of his innings, he gaveGanguly plenty to worry about. Trescothick was very fluent during theTest series and he picked up from where he left off exhibiting emphaticstroke play. Such was his dominance over the Indian attack that thevisitors were maintaining a run-rate of over six for the best part ofthe innings before he was dismissed. Mind you, not very often does onesee an opener reach his hundred in the 26th over and that too with theteam score only reading 169.Trescothick was lucky early on and with Laxman spilling a catch offAgarkar, he made it count in a telling fashion. After he got a measureof the pace and bounce, he unleashed some powerful shots off the backfoot against the medium pacers. Ganguly was forced to bring on thespinners well within the first fifteen overs but the tall left-handernot to be perturbed. He used his feet very well and tonked both AnilKumble and Harbhajan Singh for a six apiece. Once the fieldingrestrictions were removed, he played very cleverly using Kumble’s paceto his advantage and sweeping Harbhajan at will. At one stage, Harbhajanwas at his wits’ end when bowling to the man of the match. As far as thehosts were concerned it was a matter of getting Trescothick’s wicket asthe others failed to provide him the required support. There were usefulpartnerships but Trescothick did the bulk of scoring in thosepartnerships.

© CricInfo

Hussain tried in desperation by charging the medium pacers and though hepicked up a few streaky boundaries he was never convincing. Kumbleprovided the breakthrough by trapping Hussain in front off the verysecond delivery but there was an element of doubt, which though did notgo in favour of the batsman. If Hussain’s dismissal was doubtful, thenthe decision against Trescothick that swung the game in favour of Indiawas horrendous. Mr Sharma was the umpire who gave both the decisions andit appeared that he was prone to instant ruling. Agreed that leg beforedecisions are not easy but he would have been better off by taking timebefore he handed out the verdict. This particular gentleman has beenumpiring for well over a couple of decades but unfortunately his urgencyhas robbed off a fair bit of credit from the Indian victory.Moving on, it now remains to be seen if Sanjay Bangar, the only allrounder in the Indian squad will be pressed into service at Cuttack.There is no point in looking for all-rounders when the deemed one is notutilised. Anyway, if the first one-dayer is any indication, this one-dayseries will be enthralling.

The three day Central Zone Cooch Behar (under-19) match between Rajasthanand Madhya Pradesh ended in a thrilling draw at the Mansarovar stadium inJaipur on Tuesday.Ahead by nine runs on the first innings, MP were all out for 136in their second knock. Opening bowler Naresh Gehlot was the wreckerin chief taking five wickets for 19 off 22 overs. MP were at onestage 68 for one, thanks to a second wicket stand of 55 runs off16.4 overs between Sachin Dholpur (31) and Mohnish Mishra (29).But the remaining batsmen offered little resistance.Rajasthan had to get 146 runs for victory in 29 overs and thoughthey lost wickets at regular intervals, they maintained a briskscoring rate. Opener Vivek Sharma (23 off 19 balls), Ankiush Singh(39 off 52 balls), Tahir Khan (25 off 31 balls) and Vivek Yadav(19 not out off 11 balls) all did their best to get Rajasthan nearthe target. Ultimately, they fell four runs short, finishing on 142for seven. Ambalal Patidar, with three for 54 off eleven overs, wasthe most successful bowler.

Everton will take on Tottenham Hotspur this evening and Frank Lampard should be seizing the opportunity to capitalise on Antonio Conte’s inconsistent side by stealing all three points in an important victory away from home.

Spurs have lost three of their last five games, so the ex-Chelsea boss will have a glimmer of hope in securing the points in London this evening, despite Everton’s relegation form and the side only picking up one win away from home all season.

To give the club the best chance of picking up points and pulling away from the relegation zone in tonight’s clash, Lampard must pick his best players for the challenge.

Despite his tendencies to favour an approach that rewards players with consecutive starts after good performances which we saw him do with Alex Iwobi after Leeds United, the Toffees boss must not make the same mistakes with his selection later by keeping Salomon Rondon in the starting line-up due to his goals against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup last week.

The 28k-per-week dud who was labelled a “problem” by former Everton player Michael Ball, scored two goals against National League side, Boreham Wood at Goodison Park last Thursday in a victory that has taken the Toffees into the quarter-finals of the domestic competition.

Despite the 32 year old’s fantastic efforts against the non-league side, it does not mean that Lampard should give the striker the opportunity ahead of others against Tottenham this evening, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray potentially returning to the side.

Therefore, the Toffees boss should not be sentimental in selection and be objective about who has the right profile and talent for the game ahead of the team.

Rondon made eight Premier League starts under Rafa Benitez and has made 14 appearances in total, with just one goal overall and only two minutes of league football since the new manager’s arrival on Deadline Day. Based on his dismal form, supporters will surely love to see him on the bench, rather than leading the line.

Other than his goal-scoring performance in the FA Cup a few days ago he has given no indication that he deserves to start over or replace any other forward player in the regular starting line up.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Everton need to cause an upset at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight by going back to Merseyside with all three points. Lampard and his squad are running out of lifelines to keep them out of the drop zone, just one point from potentially getting relegated this season, so every game counts in the few remaining months.

In other news: Lampard faces blow to selection as Godfrey is still out