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It’s fair to say Ollie Watkins has enjoyed an incredible start to life at Aston Villa.

Signed from Brentford in the summer transfer window, the 24-year-old has started like a house on fire for Dean Smith’s side, bagging five goals in his six opening games – including netting a terrific hat-trick against Premier League champions Liverpool in a 7-2 win for his team.

However, things could have been oh-so different for Villa had they managed to secure a deal for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard. Reports suggested that the Premier League side were one of the teams interested in luring the Frenchman away from Parkhead, with Bhoys boss Neil Lennon admitting interest in his star striker from elsewhere.

He said: “We don’t want Odsonne to go, obviously, and we have had no significant interest in him as yet. There’s always a bit of agitation when the window is open, but speaking to him he seems content enough.”

Like Watkins, Edouard has also enjoyed a fine start to the new season up in Scotland, scoring six times in 13 games across all competitions. Crucially, the France U21 international has had plenty of experience at a high level, whether that be on the international stage or in European competition with Celtic.

In his time at Parkhead, Edouard has scored 13 goals and provided eight assists in 32 games in a mixture of Champions League and Europa League outings, and his ability to both find the back of the net himself and create opportunities for others makes him a complete striker.

It’s no surprise that Lennon has talked highly about his star striker, saying: “He’s hugely important (to us), he’s an outstanding footballer, talismanic almost, he’s so talented, so cool. He’s up there with some of the best we’ve had over the last 20 odd years.”

Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, Edouard’s numbers in some key areas are comfortably better than Watkins from this season. As per Whoscored, the Frenchman boasts a greater average in shots (3.7 to 3.3), dribbles (1.7 to one), and pass accuracy too (80.1 to 59.7%).

Watkins has shown plenty of promise in his first few games for his new club, but he still has a long way to go to prove himself at the highest level given that he has been playing in the lower divisions.

Edouard may well have been the lesser risk in the summer.

And in other news, Villa must fend off the competition to sign this Championship star.

It’s fair to say Serge Aurier hasn’t been the most reliable of defenders for Tottenham since his arrival back in 2017.

The former PSG ace has made his fair share of high-profile mistakes and rash tackles, conceding numerous penalties along the way too. And that’s not to mention the kinds of indiscretions he has had off-the-pitch too – reports have even claimed that Spurs have had to warn him three times after breaching lockdown measures.

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But if the latest claims are true, then Aurier’s time in north London could be set for an end sooner rather than later. According to The Athletic, Spurs are willing to listen to offers for the Ivory Coast international, and are keen on replacing him with Norwich starlet Max Aarons.

After hearing about the update on Aurier’s future, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of Spurs fans seemed to take aim at Aurier’s defending, calling him a “liability” and “calamity”, and urged the club to get rid of him.

One Spurs supporter even claimed that they would replace him with former full-back Stephen Carr.

Judging by the reaction of most of these Spurs fans, seeing Aurier go in the summer isn’t likely to see them shed any tears.

Bringing in a 20-year-old right-back in Norwich’s Aarons seems like a major upgrade on what Spurs already have, and he could potentially go on to nail down that position for the next decade or so.

It’s the kind of signing that can help Mourinho with his rebuild in north London.

Everton summer target Gabriel Magalhaes has attracted even more attention after his agent reportedly met up with Manchester United.

According to RMC Sport reporter Mohamed Bouhafsi (relayed via @TheGwladysSt), four clubs are now in pursuit of the Brazilian. No concrete offers have been made from the Red Devils, but discussions are underway. United join Everton and Napoli plus another unnamed party in the long line of clubs looking to secure a deal.

Previous reports claimed that the Toffees had offered €30million (£27.1m) for Gabriel as they eye up options to bolster their defence ahead of next season. With a club like Man United seriously interested in striking a deal, Everton may fall to a side with stronger financial backing.

It seems fans are also aware of this and have taken to Twitter to express their frustrations. One Blue in particular has said that ‘[Marcel] Brands need sacking’ if the deal doesn’t go ahead, as Everton have been monitoring Gabriel for months.

Read more replies from the Goodison faithful here:

Do you think Brands can get the Magalhaes deal done? Join the discussion in the comments below…

Manchester United are determined to sign Jadon Sancho and have offered Alexis Sanchez in exchange for the Borussia Dortmund star, according to Mundo Deportivo. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear that Sancho is at the top of his shortlist after missing out on the England international last year. The Red Devils have been interested in the youngster for a long time, stemming back to Jose Mourinho’s infamous time in charge.

Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed that United are leading the race to sign the 20-year-old in the summer and David Ornstein recently confirmed that this remains the case, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, this latest development could be bad news for Daniel James.

Ever since he arrived at Signal Iduna Park from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for a mere £7m in 2017, the Englishman has dazzled for Lucien Favre’s Borussia Dortmund, scoring 14 goals and creating 16 assists in the Bundesliga this season (WhoScored).

Furthermore, Sancho is the club’s top goalscorer, ahead of the likes of Erling Haaland and Marco Reus (BBC).

On the other hand, it is fair to say that James hasn’t enjoyed the same levels of success as his English counterpart. Indeed, the 22-year-old has struggled for consistency so far, only finding the back of the net on three occasions in the Premier League up until now, although it is worth highlighting that he has registered the highest amount of assists in the English top flight out of all of his Old Trafford teammates.

The Welsh international has netted four goals in all competitions, taking 1.3 shots per game, averaging 0.5 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles on average in the Europa League (WhoScored).

Solskjaer is prepared to offer Sanchez as part of a deal for the starlet as the Chilean is deemed surplus to requirements.

Although Dortmund are best known for signing young players, United are optimistic that the Yellow and Blacks could be interested in Sanchez. It is worth pointing out that the German club have rejuvenated plenty of inconsistent stars in the past, including the likes of ex-Barcelona forward Paco Alcacer.

The Red Devils have set their sights on bringing Sancho to Old Trafford at all costs, which will surely have an impact on the Welshman. Evidently, if the City academy graduate moves to the Theatre of Dreams, it is highly likely that he will replace James in the starting lineup.

Solskjaer has given the winger lots of opportunities to prove himself and he has largely failed to deliver, so if Sancho returns to Manchester, it is the former Swansea ace who will probably suffer the most.

United fans, do you think Jadon Sancho should start instead of Daniel James? Let us know down below!

Burnley face a nervous wait on the fitness of Jay Rodriguez ahead of Monday night’s visit to Crystal Palace.

The 30-year-old scored the Clarets’ winner against Watford yesterday but, as per Lancashire Live, Sean Dyche revealed afterwards that the striker took a knock to his ankle and was suffering from a hamstring strain upon being substituted shortly after his goal.

The Burnley boss added that it will be a waiting game to see whether the forward will be fit enough to feature at Selhurst Park in three days’ time.

With Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes also sidelined, Rodriguez and Matej Vydra were left as Burnley’s only two available senior strikers, so Dyche is clearly going to be sweating on the fitness of the ex-Southampton man ahead of Monday’s trip to London.

It isn’t just in terms of playing quantity that the potential absence of the 30-year-old would be a significant blow, either – his tally of nine goals for the season is the second highest in the Clarets’ squad, two behind Wood and three more than Barnes. Aside from that trio, the only only player with more than two goals for Burnley this term is Jeff Hendrick, who is on his way out of Turf Moor. [via TransferMarkt]

If Rodriguez can’t make the trip to Selhurst Park, it will leave Dyche with a hefty selection dilemma – either deviate from his preferred 4-4-2 formation, pigeon-hole an attacking midfield player into a centre-forward role or look to the Clarets’ academy ranks for a replacement.

Dyche and Burnley fans will, of course, be fervently hoping that Rodriguez will be fit enough to take on Crystal Palace given his scoring threat and the dearth of centre-forward alternatives.

If he doesn’t make it, though, there could be a chance for young Max Thompson to make his full Clarets debut. The 18-year-old came off the bench towards the end of the 5-0 defeat at Manchester City earlier this week and, as a centre-forward, would be a natural (albeit very inexperienced) replacement for Rodriguez.

Burnley fans, how big a blow would it be if Rodriguez is unavailable for the Crystal Palace game? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

According to a report in The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are monitoring highly-rated Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey, which could send an interesting message to Eagles prospect Tyrick Mitchell.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail says that the south London outfit are tracking the 17-year-old but are yet to make a bid for the player whose contract at Tynecastle is due to expire in the summer of 2021.

However, the report adds that the Scottish Premiership strugglers could get a much-needed financial lifeline if they can agree a fee with potential suitors for the teenager now, with the current situation in the United Kingdom.

The Daily Mail say that while Palace are best placed to sign Hickey, Manchester City, Everton, Southampton and Celtic have also watched him in action.

Message to Tyrick Mitchell

Having impressed during 2019 pre-season and gained praise from Crystal Palace supporters on Twitter, it looked as though it could be a potential breakthrough campaign for the now 20-year-old when it came to potentially making his senior Eagles debut.

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However, despite being included in the matchday 18 on two occasions in the Premier League this term, he is still yet to get on the pitch under the former England manager.

Indeed, after the Brighton and Hove Albion match in which he was an unused substitute despite being the only natural left-back available, The Athletic’s Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam said: “Mitchell should have started against Brighton given the concerns over Riedewald’s fitness, or at least been his replacement at half-time instead of McCarthy.”

Mitchell extended his contract with the Eagles in January 2019, and will surely be hoping to seriously push Patrick van Aanholt for his first-team spot in SE25 sooner rather than later having been largely ignored by Hodgson in recent months.

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However, the club’s interest in a player three years his junior is certainly intriguing, given he has made 34 first-team appearances for Hearts and is therefore more experienced when it comes to senior football.

Palace’s keen interest in Hickey and potential addition of him would surely be to push van Aanholt for his spot, and you have to wonder where that would leave Mitchell.

In other Crystal Palace news, loads of Eagles fans have reacted to an update on a former Selhurst Park hero, with one supporter demanding “get this man back to the club immediately”…

According to Football Insider, Tottenham are ready to let go of Juan Foyth this summer.

What’s the word?

The Argentina international has been on the periphery of the Spurs first-team this season, making just seven appearances across all competitions – his lowest total for a campaign since his arrival at the club a few years ago.

Now, Football Insider claim the Lilywhites are ready to tell Foyth to find a new club in the upcoming summer transfer window, and that they are looking to recoup the £8m fee they originally paid to bring him to north London.

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The report further adds that after blocking Foyth’s wishes of either a loan or permanent move back in January, they are more open to accepting his request this time around as they look to rebuild their squad.

Risk

Whilst Foyth may not have seen too much game-time this season under either Mauricio Pochettino or Jose Mourinho, Spurs should perhaps think again before letting him go in the summer – after all, the former even lauded him as “quality” and “so clever” after an impressive performance against Crystal Palace.

The future of fellow centre-back Jan Vertonghen remains up in the air for the time being, although the signs are that he will be allowed to leave on a free transfer when his contract with the club comes to an end.

If the Belgian were to depart, then letting Foyth leave north London too would rob Spurs of two first-team options at centre-back. And whilst they may be on the look-out for some replacements in the transfer market, the Lilywhites surely have bigger priorities to focus on – namely up front.

Keeping Foyth at least for this summer, especially when finances are set to be tight, would be the smart, business move. Mourinho is on the verge of making a very hasty mistake.

Meanwhile, Spurs could pull off a masterstroke with this deal.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Danny Murphy has said on talkSPORT that Harry Kane would get into the Liverpool side ahead of Roberto Firmino.

What did he say?

Tottenham are struggling at the moment. They are currently 11 points behind fourth-placed Manchester City in the Premier League table, and they recently suffered the ignominy of losing 7-2 at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The former Reds midfielder, along with talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham, has suggested that failure to qualify for European football’s premier club competition may force the England captain to depart north London.

Were he to do so, the 42-year-old believes that he would replace Roberto Firmino in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI. He explained:

“I think Harry Kane would get in Liverpool’s team ahead of Firmino, because I think he’d score more goals. I love Firmino but he’s not Harry Kane.”

Not the best fit

There is certainly an argument to be made that Firmino could score more goals. His highest-scoring season in the Premier League is 15, which compared with the likes of Kane, Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, does not really come close.

Considering that he plays for a team that has scored 173 times across the last two full terms – 89 last season and 84 during the 2017/18 campaign – you would expect more than his return of 27.

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However, as we all know, scoring goals is not his main remit as the number nine in this Liverpool outfit.

With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane on the wings, both of whom are stellar goalscorers – along with Aubameyang, they shared the Golden Boot last term – he is expected to be more of a creator than a marksman. In the last two-and-a-bit seasons, he has 31 assists in all competitions. Kane, by comparison, has 12.

He does have 75 goals across the same time period, though, which is very impressive. But his goalscoring ability would perhaps come with a price. Last term, he averaged 3.6 shots per game in the Premier League, compared to the Brazil international’s 2.2. Mane and Salah are so influential to how Liverpool play, but with Kane up front, there is a strong possibility that their overall goal threat would be heavily reduced.

Considering his ability, the 26-year-old would not struggle to find a new club were he to depart the Lilywhites. A move to Merseyside, though, would potentially unbalance the whole Reds squad. And with his Transfermarkt value currently resting at £135m, it would be far too much of a gamble.

The Sky Bet Championship action returns this evening as Fulham host QPR as the second-tier gears up for the run-in towards the Christmas period.

The games are set to come thick and fast for sides in the second-tier now that the final international break of the calendar year is over and there are bound to be a few freak results along the way.

Leeds United will be hoping to avoid one this weekend, then, as they travel to an out-of-form Luton Town side that’s looking to stay away from the bottom three.

The Whites, on paper, should win this game but the Hatters are capable of causing an upset – particularly at home – with them beating Bristol City with ease there not too long ago.

Defensively, though, Leeds can have confidence in keeping Luton out, whilst the Hatters have issues of their own at the back:

And, this in mind, here is what some Leeds fans have said in response to this reveal:

Manchester City were finally on the right side of a VAR decision on Saturday.

The reigning champions have previously had bad luck when it comes to the video assistant referee as they’ve famously had two winning goals chalked off against Tottenham in both the Premier League and and the Champions League.

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However, on Saturday their fortunes changed as the VAR check actually ruled in their favour after their second goal was checked for an offside call.

Despite the fact that the goal was given – and that City went on to win 3-0 in yet another dominant performance – a number of supporters still weren’t happy, perhaps because the check caused a significant delay in the game.

VAR is still in its infancy, and of course, there are issues that need to be ironed out, but with the amount of times Man City games have been affected by it, it’s no wonder that fans only have negative things to say.

Here’s what the fanbase were saying on Twitter…