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After securing a famous 1-o win at the home of Manchester United last week, Aston Villa will be hoping to enjoy yet another big victory when they travel south to face Tottenham.

Dean Smith’s side sealed all three points at Old Trafford thanks to a late Kortney Hause header and will no doubt be bouncing into today’s game against Spurs.

However, one man who has been on the fringes of things since his summer arrival from Norwich is Emi Buendia.

The Argentine started the first three of the games of the new Premier League season before the whole controversy of travelling away on international duty caused him to lose his place in Smith’s side.

He did come on for the final 12 minutes against United last week, but will surely be hoping that he can break into the Villa line-up today.

Max Aarons, his former teammate at the Canaries, has previously raved about Buendia’s abilities, saying: “He’s not really a player who will get on the ball and take you on as a full-back. His game is more about getting into pockets, playing neat passes and creating things.

“When you’ve got someone, who wants to run at you, then it’s easier to lock them down whereas someone like him is quite intricate so it’s hard to get near him. He’s tenacious and very strong. He’s got a lot of attributes.”

The 24-year-old was superb last season for Norwich, playing in between the lines to good effect and showing the kind of eye for a pass which saw him finish as the Championship’s leading assists provider with 16 last term.

While playing away at United might understandably have seen Smith opt to leave Buendia on the bench, a game against a struggling Spurs side who are faltering in the Premier League could give the Argentine the perfect chance to take the game to the north Londoners and cause havoc.

The £31.5m-rated playmaker has been dubbed a “revelation” by Chris Sutton, and he could well be Villa’s game-changer today against Spurs upon his hopeful return to the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

Manchester United have made many mistakes since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013, although arguably the largest errors have been in the transfer market.

When the legendary Scottish manager finally called it a day eight years ago, his trusted associate and former United chief executive David Gill followed suit in the same summer, leaving a significant void in the club’s boardroom.

Gill was largely responsible for the Red Devils recruitment during his time at the helm and that responsibility was then passed onto Ed Woodward, a former banker with minimal previous experience in the world of football transfers.

The situation has led to some rather baffling and frustrating ongoings in the market for United’s supporters in recent years, but one acquisition has exasperated the fanbase more than most.

Brazilian midfielder Fred arrived at Old Trafford via a whopping £47m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk back in July 2018 and has gone on to make 129 appearances in all competitions since.

However, he’s so far failed to live up to the expectations placed upon a player with such a sizeable price tag.

For a long time, it was unclear what Fred’s best role was or even what his best attributes were, and former United star Gary Neville was one of many pundits to criticise the South American during his maiden campaign on English shores.

“Fred at £50m, he started the first game of the season, and he looked bright, he looked tidy — but does he look like what you would expect for £50m?” the Sky Sports pundit said on the Gary Neville Podcast (as relayed by the42).

“Does he change a game? Does it look like he’s going to defend your goal? Does it look like he’s going to connect back-to-front? At this moment in time, no.”

But since then, Fred has made considerable improvements to his game. Last season, no United player averaged more tackles than the now 28-year-old’s three per league fixture, while only Luke Shaw bettered his tally of 1.8 interceptions, as per WhoScored.

His development hasn’t been enough to win over all of his critics, though, and ex-Aston Villa captain Gabby Agbonlahor was quick to slam the combative midfielder following another underwhelming display over the weekend.

“I say it every time I see him play, (Scott) McTominay is the better version of Fred, definitely, but every time Fred gets the ball he gives it away – sloppy passes when they’re trying to build attacks,” Agbonlahor said on TalkSPORT.

Fred’s largely disappointing form during his three-year stay at Old Trafford has seen his market value plummet to just £19.8m despite him being in the prime years of his career.

Arguably, the engine room operator is really a victim of his price tag, and if Woodward hadn’t overpaid for his services by such a large amount, then he wouldn’t be expected to do so much on the pitch.

But ultimately, he’s struggled to make the desired impact at United, and his purchase is one of many nightmare dealings that Woodward has overseen.

And, in other news…Murtough must seal Man Utd move for £70m magician, he’s “destined for great things” 

With just four points on the board from four draws and three defeats, Southampton are still without a win in their 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

In addition to this poor start, Ralph Hasenhuttl has only seen his team score five goals in the process, with just Norwich City (two) having found the back of the net on fewer occasions by this stage.

Southampton’s next league fixture sees them take on Leeds United, who have also suffered a rather disappointing start to their season with just six points under their belt.

Ahead of the match at St Mary’s on Saturday, the Saints have been hit with an injury blow after Che Adams was ruled out of Scotland’s match against the Faroe Islands last week upon suffering a muscle injury in their 3-2 win over Israel, a development which won’t leave the Southampton faithful at all pleased.

On the matter, Hasenhuttl said that it’s “not too serious” but the 25-year-old will definitely miss the Leeds match, which at least offers hope that he won’t be out for too long.

Even though Adams has yet to score a goal for the Saints in the league this term after five appearances, we feel he will still be a miss against Leeds considering that he has averaged 1.4 shots and 1.4 key passes per game (joint-third and joint-top respectively in the squad), proving himself to be a useful attacking outlet for the team.

Since joining Southampton back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Birmingham City, the 25-year-old – who is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – has made 83 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists along the way.

In terms of who Hasenhuttl could select as a replacement for Adams against Leeds, we feel that the Austrian should give Armando Broja his first league start of the season after he managed to score the winning goal in Albania’s recent 1-0 win over Hungary.

Either way, Southampton need to secure their first win of the season sooner rather than later before questions start getting asked about whether the club can avoid relegation.

In other news: Ralph could have ideal Vestergaard replacement at Southampton with 19 y/o “monster”

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to some transfer news on Aaron Ramsey.

As per Calciomercato, it now seems ‘increasingly likely’ that the central midfield player will sign for the Goodison Park faithful in the January window.

Of course, Ramsey is very experienced in the Premier League, having scored no fewer than 40 goals and made a further 51 assists in 262 games in total (Transfermarkt), but he is 30 years of age now, and so past his peak.

The Juventus ace has also had injury problems throughout his career, and so signing him would be a bit of a risk, but one that could well turn out to be worth it at least in the short term.

Everton fans on Ramsey transfer news

These supporters of the Merseyside club gave some fairly mixed reactions as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee going on to claim that Ramsey is a ‘quality’ player:

“What a signing this would be! Him, Doucoure and Allan would be a fantastic midfield”

Credit: @CursedToffees

“As a Welshman I may be biased but when fit Ramsey is quality. He would be an asset, works hard just has had bad luck with injuries. I can understand people’s dislike of the signing though because of age, wages and injury history – but If Rafa wants him then I would trust!”

Credit: @Zatherton3

“Pay as you play contract I’m hoping!!”

Credit: @ToffeeTipp74

“It would be really stupid if we went down this road again”

Credit: @efc_ke

“Don’t the club ever learn?”

Credit: @Twoblue68

“No thanks. Too old, too injury prone and would want a huge salary. Let him leach off NUFC”

Credit: @TomFox87

In other news, find out what ‘unbelievable deal’ EFC could pull off here!

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has dropped a claim regarding his side’s business in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, the West Brom manager revealed that he is well aware of exactly which areas of his squad require improvement in the winter window, as well as claiming that he and his transfer team are already working on deals ahead of the January market opening.

Speaking about his transfer plans, the Frenchman said: “We are working. It’s not a secret. Behind the scenes we are working on it. We’ve only had a first window but when a new manager comes in with a new way to play it takes time to pick the right player and to improve.

“We need to assess the six months between the two windows and see exactly what we need to adjust, what we need to compete at that level. For sure we want the next step in transfers with quality players who make the difference.

“The January window is always a difficult one because you need to take players who make an impact straight away. You don’t have time to waste, you play. We already have our ID, the only question is whether we can realise this in January.

“We already know about what we need and the games have helped us to have a clear picture of the situation and where we want to go to create the clear picture we see of West Bromwich Albion.”

Fans will be buzzing

Despite the fact that, prior to Sunday’s fixtures, West Brom are currently sitting second in the Championship standings, six points behind league leaders AFC Bournemouth, fans of the club appear to nevertheless be growing increasingly frustrated with the Baggies’ lack of a goalscoring number nine or a creative midfielder.

Indeed, following the 2-1 loss to Swansea City in midweek, one fan stated their belief that season-long loanee Jordan Hugill is “useless” and that West Brom “need a ball-player and a striker” in January, while another simply called for the club to “spend some money and get some quality in” during the winter window.

It is hard to disagree with this outlook, as, over Hugill’s ten Championship appearances this season, the 29-year-old has scored just one goal and has averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.55 – ranking him as Ismael’s fourth-worst performer in the second tier of English football.

Meanwhile, it is also true that Albion appear to be lacking any real creativity in midfield, as wing-backs Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend currently sit first and second in the club’s average key passes-per-game charts, with 1.6 and 1.5 respectively, while none of the Baggies midfielders have created more than two big chances so far this season.

As such, as long as these two positions are indeed the areas of his squad that Ismael has identified he requires January reinforcements, the 46-year-old’s comments are sure to have West Brom fans buzzing.

In other news: West Brom’s “fantastic” £10k-p/w dynamo could have played his last game for the club

Many Everton fans have been left slamming Mason Holgate as some transfer news emerged on his future this week.

As per The Liverpool Echo, both Brighton and Hove Albion and Norwich City made tentative enquiries about the possibility of signing the central defender in the summer transfer window, but it was made clear that he wanted to stay and regain a place in the starting eleven.

However, he has only managed to play in a mere four games in total over all competitions so far this season, with only two of those coming in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

Holgate has recently said himself that his displays last season were not up to scratch (The Liverpool Echo), and with the January window coming up, a lot of Toffees supporters feel as if his time is now up at Goodison Park.

Everton fans on Holgate transfer news

These Blues slammed Holgate as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one EFC fan even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’, averaging just a 66 per cent pass accuracy in the top flight this term:

“He didn’t kick on last season when I hoped he would do after the end to the season before when he played very well. I think the time is right for him to move on. He’s 25 and can’t see him improving significantly enough to improve our squad.”

Credit: @Toffee84Tim

“He was a liability last season… blew his chance. Not good enough.”

Credit: @MarkPhillipson

“Not. Good. Enough”

Credit: @shaun00012

“He could help Norwich get relegated”

Credit: @timjenkinson28

“No chance…if Keane and Godfrey are Sunday league then Holgate is schools league, sorry he just ain’t good enough either.”

Credit: @davemc45

“No way lad he’s absolutely garbage proved year in year out.”

Credit: @Sean1878Lowe

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians talking here!

Wolverhampton Wanderers will go into today’s Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace full of confidence after their good run of recent form.

Bruno Lage’s charges are currently on a five-match unbeaten league run after seeing off Everton last time out, with Max Kilman bagging his first goal for the club and Raul Jimenez his 50th.

That result lifted the Midlands outfit to seventh in the top-flight table, and they’ll be boosted by the news that Lage has no fresh injury concerns to contend with coming into this one.

In Friday’s press conference, the Portuguese tactician confirmed that long-term absentees Pedro Neto, Jonny Otto, Bruno Jordao and Marcal remain unavailable, limiting his options somewhat. However, Lage will be able to call upon the same personnel who saw off the Toffees on Monday, providing hope that their impressive streak of results can continue.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expect Wolves to line up in south London, with just one change from the side which started against Everton…

In goal, summer signing Jose Sa will start between the sticks once again after making a strong start to life at Molineux in the opening weeks of the campaign.

Ahead of the 28-year-old shot-stopper will be a back three which has looked solid of late. Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss comprise the defensive unit, while Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri will provide support from their respective wing-back roles.

The midfield engine room will be made up of Portuguese duo Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho after they controlled the game from the middle of the park against the Toffees as they completed 137 passes combined, providing a solid foundation for the front three.

It’s along the forward line where Lage may be tempted to make one change. Jimenez and the in-form Hwang Hee-chan should keep their places but Daniel Podence could come into the starting XI for the £19.8m-rated Francisco Trincao, who is yet to contribute to a goal in seven Premier League starts this term.

In other news… Wolves receive injury boost ahead of Crystal Palace clash, Lage will be thrilled

Antonio Conte wants to bring Gareth Bale back to Tottenham Hotspur for a third time, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda has told Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, via OKDARIO, that the 52-year-old rejected the opportunity to sign Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard on loan following a suggestion from chairman Daniel Levy and instead asked for the former Spurs star.

“He wanted to sign Eden Hazard, but Conte has told him no because he knows him from when he trained at Chelsea and says that he has little intensity and that he is not a very hard worker,” he claimed.

“The most striking thing is the player that Conte has asked Levy to take him to London is Gareth Bale. Bale ends his contract at the end of the season, but in winter it would not be free.”

There are no plans to extend the Welshman’s contract at the Bernabeu, so there is an increasing possibility that he will be looking for a new club come to the summer and after a successful loan stint in N17 last term, perhaps another reunion could be on the cards.

Imagine him and Kane

This would be an intriguing decision from Conte and co but one that does make sense. You could argue that the Lilywhites failed to replace Bale during the summer as he actually provided plenty of goals and menace in the final third.

And that’s where the Italian’s biggest issue lies right now.

His side have not registered a shot on target in the Premier League in nearly four hours, with their last goal coming over five hours ago.

Only one team has scored fewer goals (nine) this season, Norwich City (five) and similarly, the north Londoners rank last for average shots per game (10.1), as per WhoScored.

Last season, Bale was their third-highest goalscorer with 11 goals in the Premier League and three goals in the Europa League, with only Heung-min Son and Harry Kane managing more.

After the trio, no other player found the net more than three times in the league, which is rather damning. It seems that is a problem that still lingers in N17 as Son has scored four goals in the top-flight, with four other players sitting on the solitary goal.

In total, Bale found the net 16 times and averaged a direct contribution once every 87 minutes, via Transfermarkt, which is pretty outstanding and is more reason to suggest why he could fix Conte’s big issue.

After a hat-trick against Sheffield United, former Premier League marksman Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about the 32-year-old on Match of the Day. “It was a magnificent performance. It was the very best of Gareth Bale, it had everything, the running off the ball, work rate and his finishing was lethal,” he said (via football.london).

Even ex-manager Jose Mourinho dubbed the 6 foot 1 winger “remarkable” for his “incredible” impact at the club, both on and off the pitch, so that’s certainly another factor that bolsters Spurs’ claims to re-sign him for the third time.

Capped 99 times by Wales and valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, Bale could be exactly what’s needed to help get Kane and co firing again.

Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could form a deadly duo up top by bringing the Wales star and the England skipper together again.

AND in other news, “One of Conte’s requests”: Spurs plot “extraordinary” signing, fans should be thrilled…

West Ham remain interested in Jesse Lingard and a reunion in January is becoming increasingly likely…

What’s the word?

The 28-year-old maestro returned to parent club Manchester United in the summer to try and fight for his place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a successful loan stint in east London.

However, despite the club’s struggles on the pitch, Lingard has still not been utilised to good effect and with his contract up at the end of the season, his future may lie elsewhere.

That could be back at the London Stadium after Irons insider ExWHUemployee delivered an exciting claim to his ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast this week.

He said:

“Talking of players in January, Lingard is still very much on the radar and his brother is making it very, very clear about his frustrations at Manchester United and then reacting positively to West Ham’s results so if you read between the lines, there is a strong case to say that Lingard could be coming back in January.”

Second time’s a charm

The Hammers’ attempts to try and keep hold of the English loan sensation was certainly no secret with both manager David Moyes and his assistant Stuart Pearce making their interest abundantly clear in the press.

“We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year,” the latter told talkSPORT.

Evidently, they failed in their attempts to sign him permanently but it seems like another opportunity could arise this winter and that is a huge boost for the club.

Lingard delivered nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances to help fire West Ham into the Europa League. Only Tomas Soucek (7.36) recorded a better average WhoScored rating than the United star (7.22) last season. That’s how crucial he was to the side.

Of course, with the Irons sat in third position, you could argue that he has not been missed whatsoever but his presence could cement their foothold inside the top four, especially as his supposed replacement Nikola Vlasic is yet to get up to speed since arriving in the summer.

Not only can he play anywhere in attacking midfield – on both flanks and in the hole – but he can also provide back-up to Michail Antonio as a false nine, as we witnessed at times last season. Such versatility is an attractive prospect with a hectic fixture list ahead.

Some reports suggest Man Utd would be open to selling Lingard in January for just £15m, which is a little under half of what they were quoted in the summer, so it could present quite a bit of value to West Ham.

Much of the Hammers faithful were just as desperate as Moyes and Pearce to see him return to the London Stadium in the summer, so they will surely be ecstatic by this latest development from Ex.

It remains to be seen if a deal can be struck but it’s certainly more encouraging now than several months ago.

AND in other news, West Ham have struck gold with “important” 21 y/o gem who’s “got everything”…

West Ham manager David Moyes is targeting more youthful signings for the squad moving forward, according to journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Hammers riding the crest of a wave

It has been a fantastic start to the season by West Ham, with their stunning 3-2 win at home to Liverpool in their last game perhaps the high point of their campaign so far. Moyes’ men sit third in the Premier League after a wonderful run of form, not to mention looking healthy in the Europa League and Carabao Cup as well.

The hope is that the Hammers’ superb run continues on Saturday, as they return to league action with a tough-looking trip to Wolves.

The Latest: Brown makes transfer claim

Despite their current success, West Ham always appear to be on the lookout for new signings, and Brown has revealed an insight into Moyes’ current approach. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist claimed that the Hammers boss is eyeing up younger signings in order to plan for the future.

He outlined: “Moyes has said over and over again in public and in private to us that he’s trying to build a younger, hungrier side that can grow.”

The Verdict: Shrewd approach from Moyes

This is a refreshing update from Brown, as it shows that Moyes is very much looking at the long-term picture rather than just putting together a team for instant gratification.

The 58-year-old clearly sees that this is a wonderful opportunity to build something special at West Ham, with a great team at his disposal currently but also one which will eventually need freshness added to it.

Signing younger faces and integrating them into the squad makes total sense, allowing them to hopefully mature into key performers as they learn from more seasoned professionals who have grown into core players at the London Stadium.

In other news, some West Ham fans have erupted after an update regarding one player. Read more here.