Everton have made an approach to sign a new central midfield player, but a reliable journalist has revealed that they are set to face stiff competition to secure his services in January.

Who are Everton signing?

Goodison Park chiefs are already assessing their options in the market ahead of the next transfer window opening and have most recently been linked with Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier, who is also being pursued by Premier League rivals Liverpool and Brentford.

The Toffees, however, seem predominantly more interested in bolstering their ranks in the centre of the park having been credited with an admiration in Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips and Blackburn Rovers’ Adam Wharton, while a new name has now entered the fold.

Over at FC Nuremberg, Can Uzun has worked his way up through the ranks to get promoted to the senior fold, where he’s so far made 13 senior appearances for Cristian Fiel’s side, and it’s fair to say that the attacking midfielder has been impressing at first-team level (Transfermarkt – Uzun statistics).

Turkey’s youth international has firmly established himself as the 2. Bundesliga outfit’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Nuremberg statistics), and the 17-year-old’s positive form has caught the eye of Sean Dyche on Merseyside.

Can Uzun transfer update

Taking to X, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg confirmed in a Can Uzun transfer update that Everton have initiated contact to enquire about a deal for the teenage star at Nuremberg, but admitted that there are also four other clubs looking at him.

He wrote: “News Can #Uzun: Everton & Benfica have inquired about the 17 y/o top talent from @1_fc_nuernberg! There’s also an interest from Galatasaray, Fenerbahce & Besiktas. One club has already submitted an official offer.

"Vincenzo Montella is considering him for the A-national team and the Euro 2024. Montella has already made contact, as Turkey aims to integrate it's "Golden 2005 Generation" with players like Arda Guler, Uzun and Kenan Yildiz.”

How good is Can Uzun?

According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Uzun is an exciting, up-and-coming “jewel”, and the prolific form that he’s shown since the very start of his career is remarkable having posted a mind-blowing 63 final third contributions (55 goals and eight assists) in just 60 appearances, therefore it would be a real coup if he was to join Everton.

Likes to dribble

Likes to tackle

Likes to play long balls (via WhoScored)

Sponsored by Adidas, the midfielder also ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons (FBRef – Uzun statistics), so loves to use his pace to dribble past his marker and create chances for both himself and his fellow teammates in and around the opposition’s box.

Furthermore, Regensburg’s native represented his country at the Euro U17s tournament last year so he’s even being recognised to the point that he’s being given a chance internationally, so he is a real star in the making and one that could flourish should he decide to put pen to paper on Merseyside.

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste sábado, o Corinthians deve ter uma grande novidade para enfrentar o Atlético-MG, às 19h, na Neo Química Arena: a volta de Jô após um mês se recuperando de contratura na panturrilha. Sua escalação depende de Vagner Mancini, mas é certo que o ídolo alvinegro terá uma oportunidade para, além de ajudar o time, quebrar um longo jejum de gols que já supera os dois meses.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Corinthians treina passes e finalizações para pegar o Atlético-MGVídeo12/11/2020CorinthiansCorinthians quita dois meses de salários atrasados e espera pagar tudo até esta sexta-feiraCorinthians12/11/2020CorinthiansCorinthians faz treino técnico e por setores; veja possível escalaçãoCorinthians12/11/2020

Desde que se machucou, diante do Athletico-PR, na estreia de Mancini no comando do Timão, Jô vem não só em processo de recuperação, mas também de fortalecimento muscular, que não pode ter adequadamente quando foi contratado em junho e logo precisou entrar em campo para jogar o mata-mata do Paulistão, no qual acabou sendo decisivo até na final da competição.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

No entanto, quando precisou ficar afastado pela contratura na panturrilha, Jô já estava há algum tempo sem balançar a rede com a camisa do Corinthians. Seu último gol foi no dia 5 de setembro, no empate em 2 a 2 com o Botafogo, pelo Brasileirão, na Neo Química Arena, quando ele foi o responsável por deixar tudo igual no placar, deixando sua marca já nos acréscimos da partida.

Entre o gol diante do Bota e a lesão no duelo com o Furação (14 de outubro), pouco mais de um mês se passou, tendo atuado em oito jogos no período, nos quais passou em branco. Em um deles, na derrota para o Ceará, no Castelão, chegou a ficar no banco de reservas. Contra o Bahia, também pelo Brasileirão, ele cumpriu suspensão do STJD e ficou fora da partida. Se contarmos esse jogo em que ele foi desfalques, o jejum no período foi de 39 dias e nove duelos.

Já o período de ausência em virtude da lesão foi de exatamente um mês e seis jogos, ou seja, se somarmos esses dois períodos sem gols de Jô, teremos 70 dias (mais de dois meses) e 15 partidas. Esse longo jejum não acontecia desde 2005, ano em que encerrou sua primeira passagem e deixou o Corinthians para jogar no CSKA, da Rússia. Naquele temporada, ele não era titular absoluto.

Em 2017, quando retornou e fez um ano brilhante, levando a equipe ao título paulista e brasileiro, Jô não chegou a ficar um mês sem balançar a rede, os jejuns não passaram de 20 e poucos dias ou no máximo quatro partidas. Ao todo foram 25 gols marcados em 61 jogos oficiais na temporada, o que dá uma média de um tento a cada 2,44 duelos, ou seja, precisava de menos de três partidas para voltar a comemorar uma bola na rede adversária.

Mesmo assim, antes de iniciar seu jejum, Jô não podia reclamar de seu desempenho artilheiro. Foram cinco gols marcados em 11 jogos oficiais, média de praticamente um a cada duas partidas. Números bem altos para quem estava vindo de longo período de inatividade após deixar o Nagoya Grampus-JAP, clube pelo qual havia atuado pela última vez em dezembro de 2019.

A falta de uma pré-temporada do jeito que precisava e o tempo longe dos gramados começou a pesar juntamente com a maratona de jogos (19 em 75 dias), causando o desempenho abaixo do esperado, o jejum de gols e a contratura na panturrilha. Recuperado e fortalecido, Jô pode voltar a ter chance no time titular de Vagner Mancini para dar mais tranquilidade ao treinador na escalação de um ataque ideal, o qual ainda não encontrou até aqui.

Jô e o Corinthians fazem nesta sexta-feira o último treino antes de enfrentar o Atlético-MG, neste sábado, às 19h, na Neo Química Arena, pela 21ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020. O Timão ocupa a 11ª posição na tabela com 25 pontos, cinco a mais do que o Botafogo, primeiro clube na zona de rebaixamento.

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Tottenham Hotspur and manager Ange Postecoglou have a "top-class talent" in their ranks and he is "on the verge" of being absolutely world class.

Tottenham's form under Ange

Spurs are now a completely different side under their new manager. In stark contrast to the Antonio Conte era, Postecoglou's new-look Tottenham team are displaying an attack-minded style, and one which has resulted in them being top of the Premier League standings.

The north Londoners are yet to taste defeat in the league this campaign, and this has been their best start to a season since they won a domestic double in 1961. Making Tottenham's form all the more impressive, this is all being achieved without former star striker Harry Kane, who joined Bayern Munich in a multi-million pound deal over the summer window.

Kane, speaking on their excellent form recently, says he is absolutely loving Tottenham's new lease of life under Postecoglou.

“It's great to see," said the England star (via The Daily Mail). "I think I've said before, the manager is doing great for them with the way they're playing. The fans are right behind the team and it's definitely what they needed after the last few years. I'll always keep an eye on Spurs and the Premier League.

"Of course, there's still a long way to go, but like the manager said, there's no reason why the fans shouldn't be excited and happy with the way things are going. Hopefully, they can continue. I have made it clear my whole career I am a Tottenham fan and I would love to see Tottenham do well. There is no other team in the Premier League I would want to win than Tottenham.”

Who are Tottenham's best players?

There are many squad members who can be credited with Spurs' sensational beginning. The likes of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, previously unfavoured by Conte, are now Tottenham's all-important dual midfield pivot in front of the back four; cementing their places as regular starters. Meanwhile, both Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski are back to their best; contributing excellently in the forward areas.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have also formed a solid understanding as Spurs' centre-back pairing, but there is a real case to be made that summer signing James Maddison stands out above the lot. The 26-year-old, who joined from Leicester City for £40 million over the summer, is looking like an absolute bargain – scoring two goals and assisting five others in the league alone.

Draws fouls

Likes to dribble

Cuts inside

Plays the ball off the ground

Likes to do lay-offs

Long balls

Takes shots from distance

Jenas, speaking to TNT Sports, says Maddison is "on the verge" of being world class, going on to hail the "top-class talent" at Spurs.

"He’s transformed a team on his own,” Jenas said. “That’s the biggest fear for Spurs, his fitness and maintaining that all year. If you take him out of that team it’s totally different. He’s a top-class talent on the verge of being a world-class talent as soon as he gets on that stage.”

Big Picture

If England’s long-term ODI project needed one last tryout ahead of next year’s World Cup, there can hardly be a better dress rehearsal than facing cricket’s other formidable ODI team at home. There’s a plethora of staggering batting and bowling numbers around both England and India, but the larger picture is that this is a contest between No. 1 and No. 2, with the possibility that those positions could be either one’s by the end of the series.For now, it is England, with their explosive openers and robust middle order who come in as the better-ranked side. They have lost only four of the 21 ODIs they have played in the last 12 months, with the most recent string of those wins coming in the 5-0 thrashing they handed to Australia.Those would be grounds to be favourites against any other team, but as the T20I series – with largely the same players – showed, the competition is likely to be neck to neck and winning will depend on how the teams maneuver crucial short phases, the kind that are expected to belong to match-winners.And there’s no shortage of those on either side. England’s batting depth narrowly edges India, but the visitors have their bowling sorted more than the hosts, as evidenced in their domineering series wins against South Africa in the limited-overs series earlier this year.On flat surfaces, both these teams can be destructive. What will we see when they take on each other on England’s characteristically flat surfaces? One can only predict that whatever it is, it won’t be dull. What’s more? We’re back to Trent Bridge, where England scored a record-breaking 481 less than a month ago.

Form guide

England WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWW

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli is rarely outside of the spotlight, but there is tremendous significance in this tour for him on a personal front. While his numbers in England are up there – an average of 52.46 in 19 games – he hasn’t done well against England in the country – an average of 32.33 in 10 games. You’d bet on him doing better than that average considering his three centuries in six innings this year, but there is the possibility that India could look to solve their No. 4 dilemma by dropping their captain into that slot like they had during the T20s. In ODIs, he last batted there in October 2015: will Kohli risk that move in his pursuit to win every session of the tour?Jonny Bairstow has made a century against every team he has faced this year, and is currently top of the charts with 864 runs in 16 innings. His opening partner, Jason Roy, has made three ODI hundreds this year and is the only other international batsman to make more than 700 runs in the format. Both of them have been striking at greater than 100, and have struck a combined 174 fours and 45 sixes between them. With Jasprit Bumrah out of the ODI series and Bhuvneshwar Kumar battling a stiff back, how the openers do against India’s inexperienced pace line-up can set the tone for how the middle order tackles the wristspinners.Virat Kohli and Eoin Morgan pose with the trophy•Getty Images

Team news

Ben Stokes is expected to come straight back into the England XI after missing the Australia series. Alex Hales should make way for him, especially given he has injured his side. Dawid Malan was called up as Hales’ cover, and his availability will be reviewed on a game-by-game basis.*England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Jake BallBhuvneshwar Kumar is doubtful for the opening ODI after he was rested for the final T20I in Bristol due to a back injury. He went to the ground on a day of optional training but did not participate in any warm-up exercises or net sessions. Rohit Sharma said that Bhuvneshwar was “fine” but a final decision would only be taken on match day. Siddarth Kaul, who had a hit in the nets, could take Bhuvneshwar’s place and accompany Umesh Yadav in the pace attack.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Dinesh Karthik/Suresh Raina, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Siddarth Kaul, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Umesh Yadav

Pitch conditions

The temperature continues to stay in the early twenties. It’s the middle of a long, dry summer in England and there are no signs that it will end tomorrow. It should suit perfectly for a run-fest on the same ground that produced the highest ODI score last month, even though the same strip is not going be used.

Stats and trivia

• England have a win-loss record of 46-19 since the 2015 World Cup; India are the only team that comes close, with a 39-19 record in the same period
• MS Dhoni is 33 runs away from 10,000 ODI runs

Quotes

“India have been a really strong team in this format for a long time. They won last time they came over here. I know it was a very different side they played against but it is a really good marker to see where we’re at.”
“When you’re playing on pitches like this, you want to bat second. This team likes chasing down targets. I’m sure England would like the same. We’ve noticed the last series they played here, it was high scoring. This very ground was where they scored 480 runs. I’m expecting nothing less than a high-scoring series.”
*

تحدث نونو مينديز لاعب منتخب البرتغال عن المواجهة المرتقبة أمام فرنسا في كأس أمم أوروبا، واللعب أمام نجم الفريق كيليان مبابي، وكيف دعم اللاعبون قائدهم كريستيانو رونالدو.

وتغلبت البرتغال على سلوفينيا بركلات الترجيح لتتأهل لدور ربع النهائي وتواجه فرنسا غدًا الجمعة.

وشهدت المباراة أمام سلوفينيا إهدار كريستيانو رونالدو لضربة جزاء خلال اللقاء، لينفجر قائد البرتغال باكيًا ويذهب إليه لاعبو الفريق لدعمه.

مينديز سبق ولعب مع مبابي في باريس سان جيرمان خلال المواسم الثلاثة الماضية، لكن الآن سيتعين عليه مواجهته كمنافس.

وقال مينديز في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “لا أعتقد أن مبابي سيلعب أمامي، كلانا يلعب على اليسار، لكن إذا حدث ذلك، فأنا مستعد، لقد تدربت كل يوم لهذه اللحظات، نحن جميعًا مستعدون، فرنسا لديهم لاعبين رائعين وكذلك نحن”.

وعن زميله كريستيانو رونالدو، وقائد البرتغال، أفاد: “عادة رونالدو هو من يدعمنا جميعًا وهذه المرة كان الأمر على العكس من ذلك، لقد ذهبنا جميعًا لدعمه”.

وأشار: “لقد كانت لحظة صعبة بالنسبة له وللجميع، نحن جميعًا هنا للمساعدة، لقد كان في لحظة سيئة، وذهبنا له لمساعدته”.

اقرأ أيضًا | حكم مباراة البرتغال وفرنسا في ربع نهائي يورو 2024

وشدد: “نحن مجموعة متحدة للغاية، وهذا ما أعطانا المزيد من القوة للفوز بالمباراة، تصدى ديوجو كوستا لثلاث ركلات ترجيح بشكل مذهل، لقد كانت لحظة مذهلة، ولن ننساها”.

وأكمل: “لم نرغب في اللجوء إلى ركلات الترجيح، لكننا حققنا الفوز وهذا يمنحنا القوة، نحن جميعًا متحمسون للمباراة ونريد أن نجلب السعادة للجمهور وسنبذل كل ما في وسعنا لتحقيق ذلك”.

وعن مدربه روبرتو مارتينيز، أوضح: “نحن هنا كعائلة وهو يبذل كل ما في وسعه للتأكد من أن اللاعبين في حالة جيدة داخل وخارج الملعب، هذا أكثر ما يميزه؛ معرفة الحالة الذهنية للاعبين، إنه يعمل بشكل جيد بهذا المعنى ونحن كذلك”.

Amad Diallo has explained wiping all mention of Manchester United from his social media accounts, with the Ivorian saying he has done “nothing wrong”.

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Winger struggling for minutes this seasonIs back to fitness after unfortunate injuryHas seen questions asked of his futureWHAT HAPPENED?

The 21-year-old winger has been struggling for game time under Erik ten Hag of late. He had been hoping to enjoy a breakthrough campaign at Old Trafford on the back of a productive loan spell at Sunderland in 2022-23.

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An unfortunate pre-season injury did that cause few favours, and Amad has been unable to earn a regular role since returning to fitness. He has taken in just three substitute appearances for the Red Devils this season.

WHAT AMAD SAID

Amad was linked with a move elsewhere in the winter transfer window and continues to see questions asked of his future after removing United credits from social media. He has explained that decision by saying: “I deactivated my social media for a month just to focus on Ramadan, it’s a holy month for me and social media is a place where there are bad things to see during fasting. Stop the hatred, there’s nothing wrong with what I did.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR AMAD?

Amad last appeared for United in their narrow 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round and could figure in that competition again when the Red Devils play host to arch-rivals Liverpool in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The PCB and the Emirates Cricket Board have struck a deal that will see Pakistan continue to play their “home” matches in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2018A potential souring of one of the most incident-free relationships in world cricket appears to have been staved off for now, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) reaching an agreement that will see Pakistan continue playing its home matches in the UAE.The dispute originally started with a potential clash of matches after it was announced the Afghanistan Premier League would be played in October, clashing with Pakistan’s home series against Australia and New Zealand. However, the ECB confirmed that it would not host any league during a Pakistan bilateral series or the Pakistan Super League (PSL).After discussions between the two boards, a statement was released saying the UAE would continue to play host to Pakistani cricket. In addition, the ECB committed to “a significant reduction” in the costs the PCB would incur in hosting cricket in the UAE. This is expected to include, among other things, venue hiring costs, security costs, sharing of gate receipts and catering.Earlier this month, the ECB had announced it would partner a T20 cricket league in the UAE, a development the PCB was unhappy with. The PCB wanted the ECB to keep the winter window reserved exclusively for Pakistan. An agreement appears to have been struck, with that proposed T20 league – as well as the T10 league, which had its inaugural edition last year – to be played between December 10 and January 10.There are no scheduled Pakistan fixtures in that time slot. However, despite this resolution, the PCB has already decided none of its contracted players will be made available for any of these leagues. Last year, after a bitter dispute between the PCB and some PSL franchises, the PCB agreed to allow contracted players to take part in the four-day T10 league in December.It is understood that the ECB agreeing to not hosting any league concurrently with Pakistan’s international series or the PSL was of particular important to the PCB, who worried about the devaluation of their product if several other leagues were ongoing in the UAE at the same time. The PCB had also demanded that there should be a sizeable gap between the ECB’s T20 league and the PSL to avoid hampering commercial rights.

The Sri Lanka captain had been suspended from the third and final Test of Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-20181:40

Arnold: Chandimal’s was a genuine mistake

Dinesh Chandimal has appealed against ICC match referee Javagal Srinath’s decision to find him guilty of ball-tampering during the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia. Chandimal was suspended from the third and final Test of the series.*Later on Thursday, the ICC appointed chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, Michael Beloff QC, as the judicial commissioner to hear Chandimal’s appeal. The ICC release said, the “hearing will take place on June 22, and, legal counsel for both parties and Chandimal will join via telephone or videoconference.” It gives Chandimal a chance of participating in the third Test that begins on June 23 in Bridgetown, if the punishment is overturned.Chandimal had been charged by the ICC after video evidence indicated that he applied saliva to the ball shortly after putting what the ICC suggested was a sweet into his mouth. He pleaded not guilty, before attending the hearing where Srinath handed Chandimal the maximum punishment available under the code – two suspension points and a fine of 100% of his match fee.Chandimal’s appeal is likely to hinge on what he put in his mouth. One of the probable contentions is that Chandimal had a number of things in his pocket during the day, including cough lozenges (which you cannot apply to the ball) but also almonds, and he does not remember which of those things he put into his mouth in this particular clip.This, the Sri Lankan team feels, is different from the ICC’s framing of Chandimal’s defence. Upon suspending Chandimal for a Test, Srinath had said in the ICC release: “Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn’t remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence and the fact remains it was an artificial substance.”Chandimal’s defence is likely to contend that there was no way the ICC could possibly know that it was a substance capable of altering the condition of the ball, because the video evidence does not make it clear what the substance was.The argument, essentially, is that the ICC does not have sufficient evidence to find Chandimal guilty of tampering. This has been one of Sri Lanka’s assertions from the beginning.*1600hrs The story was updated after the ICC appointed a judicial commissioner for Chandimal’s appeal

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a swoop for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Pedro Neto, and a reliable journalist has now delivered the chances of him joining the club in January.

What position does Pedro Neto play?

Neto is naturally a right-winger who has plied his trade at Molineux for the past four years, having originally joined from Braga. He’s so far made a total of 119 senior appearances for the club, and it’s fair to say that he’s made an impressive start to the new season (Transfermarkt – Neto statistics).

In the Premier League, Portugal’s international has emerged as Gary O’Neil’s overall best-performing player this term with a match rating of 7.16 (WhoScored – Wolves statistics), so despite his deal not expiring until 2027 (Wolves contracts), he’s been attracting interest.

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Aston Villa all hold an interest in the 23-year-old, and the outlet state that the Old Gold are ready to cash in on their prized asset whilst they can demand a high asking price.

Pedro Neto transfer update

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Liverpool reporter Neil Jones shared a transfer update on Pedro Neto and admitted that FSG and Jurgen Klopp could also be in the race for the attacker having always appreciated him from afar, while Arsenal are also big fans:

“The Wolves man has always been a huge talent, one admired by just about every big side including Liverpool, but injuries have set him back significantly in recent years. Now he’s back fit, we are seeing what he can do, and the pace and threat he brings, plus the room for development he has at 23, mark him out as someone who can definitely take the next step by moving to a Champions League club.

“Whether that’s Liverpool – they still need to get back to the Champions League, by the way! – remains to be seen. I know that Neto has admirers at Anfield, and that his versatility and skill set would be well-suited to a Jurgen Klopp side. But then the same could be said, I believe, for a Mikel Arteta side or a Pep Guardiola side. I believe he is of that level, potentially.

“With reasons to think that the Mohamed Salah to Saudi Arabia stories might not be going away in 2024, Neto could definitely be one to watch.”

How many goals has Pedro Neto scored?

In the top-flight this term, Neto has six contributions (five assists and one goal) to his name in eight appearances, and as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Wolves’ talisman is a “baller” when he’s at the top of his game and injury free, just as he is now.

O’Neil’s left-footed ace is also a versatile operator having played in six various positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, so he is a wonderfully adaptable option to have in the building.

Finally, Neto, who earns £50k-per-week (Wolves salaries), shares the same representatives, as both Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez (Liverpool agents), so the existing connection that his management has to the board could give them a small advantage should they decide to pursue a deal in January.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is keen to upgrade in the full-back areas come January and he has one particular target in mind, but any deal to bring his man to Villa Park will now be complicated, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Aston Villa?

Cited by Birmingham World, Villans boss Emery has explained how his side managed to annihilate Brighton & Hove Albion by a score of 6-1 last weekend in the Premier League and why he deployed certain tactical processes during the encounter, stating: "Our game plan was to try to avoid duels, try to avoid the defence against us, finding the players we can fight against them man-to-man, two against two."

He then added: "When they were doing man-to-man on the pitch we tried to avoid the first build-up, playing with the players they have close to our goalkeeper and playing over, faster than the other players. They were the strikers, they were John McGinn, Nicolo Zaniolo. We did fantastic with Ollie Watkins fighting with the defence and Moussa Diaby. Then we needed to try to keep ball possession and build."

Next up for Aston Villa is a home tie against HSK Zrinjski Mostar in matchday two of their Europa League campaign; nevertheless, Emery will have to go without several first-team players at Villa Park. As per Birmingham Live, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia, Moussa Diaby, Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara will all miss the clash due to various concerns.

Nevertheless, Leon Bailey, Tim Iroegbunam, Diego Carlos and Bertrand Traore could all play some part against the Bosnian outfit as Aston Villa seek their first victory in continental competition this term following a 3-2 defeat against Legia Warsaw in their group opener.

Who could Aston Villa sign?

According to Kicker, transcribed via Sport Witness, Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong has emerged as a target for Aston Villa and Emery ahead of the January transfer window, having eyed up a move during the summer.

NSWE will regret not making a move then though, as the Amsterdam-born ace has since penned a contract extension at the BayArena that will tie him to the Bundesliga side until the summer of 2028, and has also seen him fall in line with the highest earners at Bayer Leverkusen.

TEAMtalk are now claiming that Bayer Leverkusen would want to recoup £60 million for the former Celtic man in the event of his departure given his refreshed contract situation. Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen have all shown interest in Frimpong and his old club, Celtic, will be entitled to 15% of any fee the German side recoup due to a sell-on clause inserted into his contractual agreement.

The 22-year-old has started the new campaign in commendable fashion, registering two goals and three assists in his opening eight appearances across all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen, as per Transfermarkt.

Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig has previously labelled Frimpong "one of the best wing-backs in Europe" and it is easy to see why, given that he has averaged one shot, 1.5 key passes and 1.2 completed dribbles per match in the Bundesliga this season, according to WhoScored.

Despite his talents, it is conceivable that Aston Villa could be priced out of a move due to his new contract, though we will see what happens on that front.