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Aston Villa could be without goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic against Stoke City on Saturday, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The stopper, who has made seven Championship appearances this season, faces a late fitness test ahead of the encounter.

What’s the word?

Kalinic moved to Villa in January, after a deal was agreed with Gent in December.

The Croatia international, who has won 16 caps for his country, has since played in every available Championship game, bar the clash with QPR on New Year’s Day.

Kalinic sustained a concussion during the last encounter, a 2-0 loss to West Brom, and was subsequently substituted at half-time.

Dean Smith has confirmed that the stopper may now miss the encounter with Stoke and that he is being treated by the club’s medical staff.

“Lovre is following the concussion protocol so we’ll have more information on him tomorrow,” Smith said, per the aforementioned report.

“There’s a protocol that he’s following because he was concussed .

“He was on the bike yesterday and has done some work with Neil Cutler (the goalkeeping coach).

“The doctor has to make sure the boxes are ticked to see whether he’s okay.”

Serious issue

Kalinic has been a fine performer for Villa since his move to the club.

His absence from this weekend’s encounter would be a serious blow to Smith, with previous first-choice Orjan Nyland already out for the remainder of the season.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Jed Steer, who replaced Kalinic against the Baggies, has played just three Championship games this season, while Mark Bunn has played once, in a 3-3 draw with Preston.

Steer is likely to be trusted again but Villa appear to be having absolutely no luck with injuries as it stands.

Per the Birmingham Mail, Jack Grealish is also currently injured, along with Tom Carroll and Axel Tuanzebe. John McGinn is suspended, too.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers continued to cement their status as one of the best sides outside of the top-six on Saturday afternoon with a dominant 3-1 victory over Everton – a game which saw Leander Dendoncker open his account for the club.

Nuno Espirito Santo should be regarded as a strong contender for the manager of the season award after effectively securing survival with 13 games left to spare.

In the context of the metaphorical best of the rest award in the Premier League, Wolves are firm front runners after recording emphatic victories over West Ham and Everton – two sides who, pertinently, are widely regarded as the two most likely candidates to challenge the supremacy of the top-six.

Wolves’ journey into 7th place, though, has not been without a natural bump in the road. Much was made of Santo’s tactical approach early in the season and his refusal to tinker with his starting eleven eventually forced his hand after losing six times in 11 fixtures prior to the trip to Tottenham last December.

Santo gave Dendocker his full debut against the potential title-challenger at Joao Moutinho’s expense, and the dynamic Belgium international hasn’t looked back ever since.

After establishing himself in the starting eleven and winning over large sections of the Wolves supporters in the process, Dendoncker’s reputation culminated on Saturday afternoon at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old was a defensive machine in front of the back-four, breaking up play with five tackles and four clearances before forcing his side forward with attacking dynamism, leaving the Wolves fans wondering why it took Santo so long to give him a genuine opportunity to showcase his obvious talent.

The performance was considered complete when he embodied the spirit of Frank Lampard and ghosted into the area to slam home a technically perfect volley which left Jordan Pickford clawing hopelessly at fresh air.

Another win on the road took Wolves’ record to four wins from the five fixtures in which Dendoncker has started this season, with the beginning of his inclusion in the side clearly representing a watershed moment in the club’s season.

His presence has relieved the manacles which have limited Ruben Neves and Moutinho at times this season, but to place him in a bracket comprising of midfield destroyers would do him a notable disservice.

Dendoncker was cute in possession against Everton, picking his moments to dribble forward with the ball at his feet and delivering passes into his attacking teammates at every available opportunity.

Wolves’ 3-1 victory was symptomatic of how Dendoncker’s fresh injection of midfield prowess arrived at just the right time for Santo and a team that had started to become stale and predictable.

Akila Dananjaya has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the World Twenty20, following four impressive performances for Wayamba United in the ongoing Sri Lanka Premier League. Another uncapped player, opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera, has been picked and Ajantha Mendis has earned a recall. Mendis has not played for Sri Lanka since January after suffering a back injury.Dananjaya, 18, had never played professional cricket prior to the SLPL, nor was he picked for the U-19 side currently competing in the World Cup in Australia. He had been selected in the preliminary 30-man squad solely on the recommendation of captain Mahela Jayawardene, who had faced him at Sri Lanka’s net session. Dananjaya has taken seven wickets at the SLPL, at an average of 11 and an economy rate of 4.81.Munaweera was picked despite not being named in the preliminary list. Renowned as a clean hitter on the domestic circuit, he showed glimpses of that power in the SLPL, but has a highest score of 36 in his four innings in the tournament so farMendis, though, has been impressive in the SLPL. He has nine wickets at an average of 14.11 in four matches.A fractured finger during the ODI series against India last month had ruled out Kumar Sangakkara for four to six weeks and his selection in the 15 remains subject to his recovery in time for the competition. Likewise with seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who suffered a groin injury in July.There is no room in the side for batsman Upul Tharanga, who played in the Twenty20 against India earlier this month, despite scores of 65 not out and 48 for his franchise. Chamara Kapugedara, who hit a match-winning 69 from 39 balls for Uthura Rudras on Tuesday also missed out.Sri Lanka play their first warm-up ahead of the World T20 against West Indies on September 13. Their first game of the tournament is against Zimbabwe on September 18.Sri Lanka squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Dilshan Munaweera, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dhanajaya.

Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to react to Dayot Upamecano’s performance against Bayern Munich on Sunday evening.

The 15-cap France U21 international was making his 17th Bundesliga start of the season for RB Leipzig, and went on to help Julian Nagelsmann’s side keep a clean sheet in a goalless draw between the two teams sat at the top of the Bundesliga – Bayern Munich are just one point ahead.

Upamecano – who Spanish outlet Don Balon revealed that Manchester United are interested in back in October – delivered a sturdy display against the reigning champions of Germany.

The 21-year-old won the WhoScored Man of the Match award for his showing, in which he made a goal-line clearance while also making a huge eight clearances.

Upamecano also completed two tackles and made four interceptions, as well as registering three blocks while he also embarked on two dribbles in what was an all-action display from the centre-back.

Let’s see what the Manchester United fans on Twitter thought of his performance…

To kick off the reaction, this Manchester United supporter called the Frenchman a “colossus” and said that the Red Devils should try and sign him instead of Kalidou Koulibaly – a bold claim.

Elsewhere, Ryan said that United should sell Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, before bringing Upamecano to Old Trafford – this fan also wants a left-back, Jack Grealish and Timo Werner.

Also, Koulibaly’s name was mentioned yet again as Jaimin said that the RB Leipzig defender reminds them of a younger version of the Napoli powerhouse.

Meanwhile, Harry showered the youngster in praise by saying that he is “on another level”.

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

Then, @acemufc_ said that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to sign Upamecano as he pocketed Robert Lewandowski on Sunday evening.

Lastly, Vishwas kept things short and sweet by simply stating that the RB Leipzig No.5 is “good”.

In other news, Solskjaer must put an end to his faith in this United player…

According to The Nottingham Post, Forest are in contention to sign Celtic winger Lewis Morgan on loan this month. 

The 22-year-old be was sensational last season with St Mirren, helping secure them promotion from the Scottish Championship with 14 goals and six assists in 35 appearances.

Morgan has struggled to make an impact so far for Celtic this season, however, and while he has featured under Brendan Rodgers, it has largely been from the bench and he is yet to score. However, at the age of 22, he is still in his formative years, and it would make sense if he joins up with with a team that would perhaps give him more playing time than what he has got so far this season. It will only help his development before returning to Parkhead.

With Matt Cash and Joe Lolley already at the City Ground, The Reds already have a good selection of attackers. However, the arrival of Morgan could see Lolley play more centrally, as he has done under new manager Martin O’Neill so far this season.What this transfer does indicate, however, is a new relationship between Celtic and Nottingham Forest. O’Neill managed The Bhoys at the beginning of the century, where he had a huge amount of success. His relationship with the Glasgow club could mean that he could broker deals for their struggling players, which would be an amazing source of talent from Forest’s perspective. With a number of good players struggling for game time at Celtic Park at the moment, this could be the beginning of a great relationship.

Tottenham supporters have been pretty satisfied throughout the international break after seeing their team record three successive Premier League victories prior to the fortnight interruption.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their most recent encounter against Cardiff City off the back of wins over Brighton and Huddersfield Town, albeit they did go down 4-2 to Barcelona in the Champions League days before the visit of Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds. Yet the North Londoners got back to winning ways at Wembley as an Eric Dier effort in the first half was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Spurs, in turn moving them to within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

As such, there have been many delighted Tottenham fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have been taking to Twitter to express their thoughts on the rumours circulating that Pochettino will get a £100 million transfer kitty in January, with many laughing off such suggestions.

And having endured a summer in which their side didn’t sign anyone, those Tottenham fans are right to suggest that these recent claims are absolutely laughable.

Ultimately, Spurs became the first Premier League team since the transfer window was brought in back in 2003 to not sign anyone during the summer market, and regardless of how strong Pochettino’s squad is (which it of course is), they would have surely benefited from some additions to freshen things up ahead of a push for the title this term.

Yet the club will point to new deals for the likes of Pochettino and striker Harry Kane as shrewd business that somewhat outweighs new signings, and while there is little doubting that agreements with the aforementioned duo were important, the fact that Tottenham haven’t quite fired on all cylinders just yet suggests that they could have done with a few additions.

Nonetheless, having failed to do any business at all during the summer, which is seemingly the easier of the two windows to strike deals, it is highly unlikely that Spurs will be overly busy during January, let alone give Pochettino a hefty £100 million to spend on new recruits.

Simply, Tottenham are not in the same league as the likes of City, Manchester United, and Chelsea when it comes to spending big and handing out big contracts – it’s unlikely that Levy is going to change tact anytime soon, let alone when they, eventually, move into their new stadium and thus have that to pay off.

So while the North Londoners may seek to do some business come January, their performances in the Premier League and in Europe may have a bearing on how much, it’s very unlikely that they will spend £100 million, which would be a full £100 million more than they spent during the summer.

As such, those Spurs fans are right to laugh off those recent claims, as they know their side all too well to expect big money to be spent come the New Year.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Liverpool have had one of their best transfer windows in recent memory as the club has splashed out £163.98 million on Shaqiri, Alisson, Keita and Fabinho. 

The club’s summer business seems pretty much complete aside from shipping out any squad players to help recover some of their outlay this summer.

Danny Ings, Lazar Markovic and Simon Mignolet could all leave the club before the end of the transfer window. However, Spanish news outlet, Don Balon, is reporting that Liverpool have apparently opened talks with Barcelona over a move for Ousmane Dembele.

The France international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish giants following a subpar first season in Spain.

The Breakdown

Arsenal and Bayern Munich have all been linked with a move for the France international in the past as the club look to cut their losses and sell the Frenchman for a reported £89 million fee.

With Barcelona signing Malcolm, it would seem that Dembele’s position is now under threat at the club. With the Brazilian now at the club and if the club aren’t confident in Dembele, it makes sense to sell him.

For Liverpool, however, even a cut-price deal at £89 million for a player who will likely be second-choice behind Salah or Mane doesn’t really make sense.

He’s a great player but paying such a high fee for a man who won’t start, seems a bit of a stretch.

Liverpool don’t need to push the boat out Dembele, if they’re looking for more quality depth, they should look elsewhere.

Thoughts Newcastle fans? 

According to reports in The Sun, Manchester City are unlikely to bid more than £20m for Arsenal forward during the January transfer window after a £60m move fell through on transfer deadline day.

What’s the word, then?

Well, City thought they had got their man when they agreed a fee with the Gunners last Thursday, but the north London outfit pulled the plug on the deal when they failed to bring Monaco’s Thomas Lemar in as a replacement.

Sanchez is now in the final 12 months of his Arsenal contract after refusing to commit his future to the club, and it seems almost certain that he will depart either in January or next summer.

Despite failing to sign the Chilean last month, The Sun says that the Citizens remain confident that the 28-year-old will be reunited with Pep Guardiola in the next 12 months, even though Sanchez will be able to negotiate with foreign clubs in the New Year.

However, the report adds that they are not willing to pay over the odds for a player that would be available for nothing next summer, especially as Guardiola currently has a plethora of attacking options to choose from.

What happens next?

Sanchez made his first appearance of the season in the 4-0 defeat against Liverpool last month and his mood certainly hasn’t improved on his return to action for Chile during the international break.

The South Americans lost back-to-back World Cup qualifiers to put their chances of securing their spot in Russia next summer into doubt, and the 28-year-old posted a message on his official Instagram account following the latest 1-0 defeat against Bolivia on Tuesday saying that he is ‘tired’ of the criticism he is receiving when he plays for his country.

Sanchez will now return to north London to meet with Wenger after his move away failed to materialise, and the French manager will be hoping that the attacker is willing to buckle down can rediscover the exceptional form he has shown since he moved to the Emirates.

Could he still have an Arsenal future?

You can never-say-never but it looks highly unlikely that Sanchez will be a Gunners player this time next year, and Arsenal will perhaps look to recoup as much money as they can for him in January rather than risk losing him for free next summer.

Manchester United won their first major honour of the Jose Mourinho era on Sunday after a thrilling EFL Cup Final at Wembley against Southampton.

Surging to a 2-0 lead before Saints made a a remarkable comeback, United eventually found victory thanks to a late, late Zlatan Ibrahimovic header that sent the Red Devils’ end absolutely berserk.

Ibrahimovic also got the first goal, an incredible free-kick, with Jesse Lingard adding to that, seemingly giving Mourinho’s men an insurmountable lead. However, two goals from the red hot Manolo Gabbiadini either side of half-time ensured a dramatic conclusion to the encounter and it was the Swedish legend who nodded home to give United victory.

It’s the first tangible evidence that Mourinho is taking the club in the right direction and given they still have a chance of winning two other competitions, it may not be the last success of the season.

Manchester United fans were of course overjoyed with the win and the occasion and took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

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When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain first arrived on the scene for Arsenal back in the summer of 2011, many voices among the Emirates faithful believed that this up and coming young talent had everything necessary to make it right at the very top for Arsene Wenger’s side.

But the 2015/16 campaign has proven a somewhat frustrating affair for the 22-year-old wide-man in front of goal, as the former Southampton youngster only has the one solitary league goal to his name so far.

So whilst the potentially exciting English international looks set to miss out on Arsenal’s next run of fixtures due to a disappointingly timed injury picked up in recent weeks, must Arsene Wenger wave goodbye to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the summer, or will the quick-footed wide-man eventually prove himself at the Emirates?

Without wanting to overly criticise a young up and coming asset who is still in the early stages of his footballing career, this is a player who hasn’t quite hit the ground running at Arsenal as everybody initially expected him to.

For one reason or another, Oxlade-Chamberlain is yet to truly develop into an out-in-out goal threat for the Gunners. Although the 22-year-old can prove effective on his day, the former St. Mary’s graduate has been criticised for running into trouble on more than the odd occasion this season, as well as failing to produce that all important final ball.

The current England international has also looked short of form when providing assists for Arsene Wenger’s side, and although a fair amount of untapped potential still arguably resides in the player at this particular stage in his career, it remains difficult to see how Arsenal can justifiably incorporate him in their first team plans in future seasons, if his current form out on the pitch fails to improve.

If the Gunners really want to consider themselves genuine title challengers, as well as also registering a more meaningful threat upon the Champions League scene, perhaps players such as Oxlade-Chamberlain must ultimately be deemed surplus to requirements.

But as the Arsenal winger burst onto the scene at a particularly young age, it remains easy to forget that this is a player who still has time to develop his overall game. Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t proven the most effective asset for Arsenal in recent years, but as his current level of promise still remains partially exciting, now is no time for Arsene Wenger to completely give up on this potentially useful talent.

He therefore deserves another season at the Emirates to really offer a showcase of his talents in front of the Arsenal support, and perhaps even go on to achieve the once captivating status many initially expected of the 22-year-old just a few short seasons ago.

Most top-flight stars in the English Premier League suffer campaigns to forget at some point, so whilst the immediate future looks bleak for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, he is by no means finished at the Emirates, regardless of the level of criticism that has come his way in 2015/16.

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