Lionel Messi has been invited to join Argentina’s squad at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, with Thiago Almada already committing to that cause.
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Everton look to be closing in on an exciting offensive signing in Sporting Lisbon's Youssef Chermiti, with manager Sean Dyche making improvements on his side ahead of the 23/24 Premier League campaign.
Is Youssef Chermiti joining Everton?
According to multiple reports – including BBC Sport – the Toffees are closing in on the transfer of the 19-year-old Chermiti for about £13m, with Dyche working to bolster his squad after admitting he has missed out on targets already.
Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers are both said to have sent scouts to observe the talent in action, but it is the Merseyside outfit who have convinced the Portugal youth international to kickstart his professional career at Goodison Park.
Portuguese outlet, O Jogo – via Sport Witness – have furthered claims by suggesting on Tuesday that the player is now 'one step away' from moving to Goodison Park.
It is unlikely that Chermiti will be deployed as the club's starring cente-forward instantaneously, rather, integrated into the side and utilised as a precocious back-up option.
Who is Youssef Chermiti?
In a circular arc of perfect harmony, Everton's Ellis Simms has joined Coventry City for £8m; Viktor Gyokeres has departed the Robins and headed for Sporting Lisbon for £20m, with Chermiti now completing the merry-go-round of activity by moving to Dyche's side.
Simms was a peripheral figure at the club and only scored one goal from 11 Premier League matches last term, so the deal struck is probably good value for money.
Chermiti is viewed as a long-term option, and as a player who is more than capable of wedging their way into the talismanic role that Dominic Calvert-Lewin currently occupies.
Indeed, the "raw diamond" who is "much like" Calvert Lewin – as he has been described by Zach Lowy, impressed last season as he broke into the Leões first-team, scoring three goals and supplying two assists from just nine starting appearances in the Liga Portugal.
And while he is yet to cement a regular starting berth for himself, with FBref ranking him among the top 10% of forwards across Men's Next Eight divisions over the past year for assists, the top 15% for non-penalty xG – expected goals – and the top 4% for touches in the attacking box, he clearly has the ability to thrive.
While he is greatly underperforming his xG at present – ranking among only the top 56% for goals per 90 – his xG metric, partnered with his offensive positioning in the final third suggests that he has the tools to flourish in the future and could prosper as the understudy to the 6 foot 2 Calvert-Lewin. Indeed, Chermiti is 6 foot 4 and has also been called "imposing" by Lowy. Sound familiar?
He would certainly be an upgrade on Neal Maupay too, who was signed for the Toffees from Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported £15m one year ago but has failed miserably during his time at the club, scoring just once from 29 matches in the top-flight and being branded a "disaster" by journalist Paul Brown.
Hardly an imposing figure at 5 foot 8 either, it's evident Chermiti would provide his new manager with a huge upgrade in terms of physicality and all-round presence when leading the line.
Praised as a "superb" prospect by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Everton must now make use of their imminent acquisition and nurture him to prominence over the coming months; it is refreshing to see the club target youthful promise instead of subpar seniors, and it might just pay off and signify a change of direction.
Whatever Cameron Bancroft envisaged when he imagined the first press conference of his career as a Test cricketer, it surely wasn’t this.His excellent debut, in which he scored 82 not out to help Australia to a 10-wicket victory, was all but forgotten as he was besieged by questions about the incident involving Jonny Bairstow in Perth a month ago.It was, at times, surreal stuff. Asked to define “on a scale of one to 10” what sort of a headbutt he received from Jonny Bairstow, he found himself using the memorable phrase “I’ve actually got the heaviest head in the Western Australia squad; it’s been measured.”A series of England press conferences had brought only more confusion. The more they (Bairstow, Joe Root and an utterly bemused Trevor Bayliss) insisted “we’ve made it quite clear”, the more the truth was shrouded in a fog of vague platitudes that begged more questions than they answered. They might as well have got David Blaine to talk to the media. It was, for the most part, like trying to get a straight answer from a politican.
Joe Root urged onlookers “to be careful” not to equate the Jonny Bairstow incident to the one involving David Warner four years ago.
Root, who was punched by Warner in a Birmingham bar during the 2013 Champions Trophy, insisted the Bairstow incident had been “blown out of proportion” and that there was “nothing there”.
“We need to be careful not to make a big deal out of something that’s not there,” Root said. “I can see why people would think that is similar to the Warner incident on the surface. But these are two very different instances and we have to be very careful that we don’t fall into that trap. These two instances are definitely not the same.
“It’s obviously disappointing that we have given them something to bring up. It’s come up on the first day Australia have had a good day on the field, four weeks later. If it was a big deal it would have come out a lot earlier, and we need to be careful not to make a big deal out of something that’s not there.”
Root also admitted that England were partially responsible in letting the game slip by failing to set a match-defining first-innings total. At 4 for 246, they had the foundation for a large score but instead managed only 302.
“When you get to 250 for four you want to make 400,” Root said. “That was probably the difference between their innings and ours.
“One guy went on and made a big hundred for them – and credit to him, he played exceptionally well – and then we had them seven down and would like to have bowled them out a bit quicker. There were little chances that cost us.”
But Bancroft is an uncomplicated, old-fashioned, straight-talking Aussie. And, without too much fuss, he let the light flood in. Australia won the first Test on and off the field.This, it transpires, is what happened: a few hours after England landed in Perth on October 29, several of the squad went out for drinks. There was no curfew and they were accompanied by security officers.At some stage during the evening, a few members of the England squad and a few members of the Western Australia squad bumped into each other (no pun intended). With mutual friends and shared experiences to discuss, they had a few drinks.Bairstow, like an over-excited puppy, greeted Bancroft with a well-meaning but clearly inappropriate butt which connected with the side of Bancroft’s forehead. While Bancroft was surprised – “It was really weird and random. I expected a handshake or hug, not a headbutt” – he was not offended or threatened. At no stage was the action interpreted as aggressive and the two carried on chatting and drinking.It is a version of events that has, more or less, been accepted by Bairstow.It came to light on Sunday after some dialogue was picked up by stump microphones. The Australia team brought it up in the belief they could disconcert Bairstow when he came out to bat. It worked like a charm, too. He was caught at third man attempting an uppercut.Not for a moment should anyone conclude that the Australian on-field talk represents their genuine belief that Bairstow assaulted anyone. It was, as Steve Smith, admitted a tactic. “We were just trying to get into his head,” Smith said. “And I think it worked.” They didn’t, they insist, intend for it to leak into the media. Though you get the impression they are not too concerned that it did. England’s discomfort will delight them.Wait there, you’re thinking. Bairstow said hello with a headbutt?Well, yes. Not an especially violent one and certainly not one meant to hurt, but yes, he did. In a clumsy, macho, possibly even jet-lagged way, he did. Like a “jock”, as they might say in the US. It is an almost inexplicably strange greeting, it is true. Unless, perhaps, you are a stag.Perhaps you have to know the characters involved to understand. Those who do – the media and players see a lot of each other these days – describe Bairstow as a well-meaning, likeable but perhaps slightly socially awkward fellow. Think of Alan Partridge trying to fit in with “the blokes” in the episode entitled “Watership Alan” (“I had breakfast; didn’t even wash my hands. Cos I’m a bloody bloke”) or James Fleet’s character, Tom, in attempting to emulate the gentle wit of Hugh Grant’s best man’s speech and inadvertently causing great offence (“When Bernard told me he was getting engaged to Lydia I congratulated him because all his other girlfriends were such complete dogs. Although may I say how delighted we are to have so many of them here today”).Nobody involved in this situation – not Bancroft, Bayliss or Bairstow – thinks there was any malice involved. It would be odd if any of the rest of us reached a different conclusion.Bairstow will probably be embarrassed by this episode for some time. “Just don’t say hello to me,” someone shouted at him in mock horror in the hotel lobby on Monday. He greets harder than Audley Harrison hits, after all. But really, apart from providing material for some gentle teasing for years to come (he’ll be the butt of jokes, you would imagine), this incident doesn’t amount to very much. Bairstow, who shook hands with every member of the Australia squad and backroom staff after the match, will not be disciplined and should surely be allowed to move on.Jonny Bairstow explains his side of the story•Getty Images
There is a more serious element, though. Bayliss, as laid back an England coach as there has ever been, was clearly seething at the fact such an incident had – albeit briefly – destabilised his team. Within a couple of minutes, he used the words “stupid”, “dumb” and “extra dumb” to describe the off-field behaviour of some of his players in recent times. He couldn’t give a damn what they get up to in their spare time, just so long as they don’t do anything that could, in any way, compromise their on-pitch performance.And, the way he sees it, this episode helped Australia dismiss Bairstow in England’s second innings – he played a poor, flustered shot – and increased the media pressure on his squad. It has fuelled allegations there is a “drinking culture” within the squad – an allegation with which few of those of us who travel with them agree – and increased the level of scrutiny and pressure which will stalk them with its long lens.The result? England may move a step closer to a siege mentality they have done well to avoid in the aftermath of the Stokes incident. They have, until now, continued to mingle and mix and enjoy the many delights of this wonderful country. It would be a shame – a self-defeating shame, probably – if they were to put up the shutters and stop embracing all that life offers here. Month upon month of hotel room living is not the definition of professionalism; it encourages insularity and brooding and staleness. As Bob Dylan put it: too much of nothing makes a man mean.This England side has been admirably open in recent times. They have posed for every selfie and accepted nearly every media request. The culture has been more relaxed, happier and lighter and, surely as a direct consequence, less plagued by the mental health problems that had a significant impact on the 2013-14 Ashes tour. It would be a shame if an odd incident like this – not much more than shaking hands with a girl who expects a kiss on the cheek or knocking over a glass of wine at a wedding – were to spoil it.
Alex Hepburn has been charged with two counts of rape and Worcestershire’s director of cricket Steve Rhodes put on leave because of the way he handled the matter
George Dobell29-Nov-2017
Steve Rhodes is accused of a cover-up•Getty Images
Worcestershire have been thrown into disarray after a player was accused of rape and the director of cricket put on leave by his county because he did not properly bring it to their attention.Alex Hepburn, the 21-year-old allrounder, was charged with two counts of rape on November 9 while Steve Rhodes, the club’s long-serving director of cricket, has been put on leave by Worcestershire and England after failing to report the player’s arrest in a timely fashion.Rhodes, who had been appointed to coach the England U19 team at the World Cup in the new year, has also been relieved of those duties and replaced by Gloucestershire’s Richard Dawson.It is alleged that, when Hepburn was first arrested on April 1, he approached Rhodes for assistance. Rhodes agreed not to pass on details of the allegation to the club’s board and, while the investigation continued, Hepburn was selected for the first team (in T20 cricket) and signed a one-year contract extension with the club.News that he had subsequently been charged resulted in the matter coming to the attention of the club and the ECB. It is understood they were told on November 9 and 10.Alex Hepburn has been charged with two counts of rape•Getty Images
Hepburn is suspended on full pay. He will appear in court on December 7. Rhodes is currently the subject of an internal disciplinary hearing, run by independent board members, which is expected to conclude within the first week of December. There is every chance is career at the club – extending back to 1985, is over.A West Mercia police statement said: “A man has been charged in connection with a rape investigation in Worcester. Alex Hepburn, aged 21 of Diglis, Worcester, was charged on 9 November with two counts of rape of a woman 16 years or older.”The charge is in connection with an investigation into the rape of a woman on 1 April 2017. Hepburn will appear at Worcester Magistrates Court on 7 December 2017.”Rhodes and the Worcestershire chief executive, Tom Scott, fell out earlier this year over the handling of Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s move to Yorkshire.Partially as a result and partially because the structure of the club prevented him from effectively managing Rhodes, Scott tendered his resignation and leaves the club at the end of the year.”The ECB can confirm Steve Rhodes will not be travelling to South Africa as head coach to the Young Lions on secondment fromWorcestershire,” an ECB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “Richard Dawson, the Gloucestershire head coach, will take on the role of head coach to the Young Lions squad in South Africa.”Hepburn moved to England from Australia in 2013. Having played for Western Australia U17, he represented Worcestershire twice in List Acricket in 2015 and made it into their T20 side in 2017.
Tottenham Hotspur have scheduled talks tonight to re-sign defender Clement Lenglet, and Barcelona see it as a "magnificent opportunity" to finally sell.
Who are Spurs signing next?
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon and striker Alejo Veliz have all officially put pen to paper on moves to Spurs this summer.
They follow on from permanent deals for right-back Pedro Porro and Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski, with Rosario Central striker Alejo Veliz being the latest confirmed arrival at N17.
Lilywhites head coach Ange Postecoglou, speaking to the press recently, also confirmed that there should be more activity to come – as Spurs hunt for another defender and look to offload fringe squad members.
“It's not done yet," said Postecoglou.
"We need bolstering in that central defensive area. We need defenders who can work in an aggressive formation, defend well & behind them. We'll be looking to bring in a couple in that area in the coming days."
On potential exits, the Spurs boss has said that certain players will be looking for new opportunities – drawing attention to Tottenham's "bloated" squad.
It's fair to say our squad is too big at the moment," explained Postecoglou.
"There are guys who will want to explore opportunities elsewhere. I'm not involved in that. I think we'll see some movement out in the coming weeks.”
Lenglet, who spent last campaign on loan at Spurs from Barca, has been repeatedly linked in the past week and some reports even suggest he is prioritising a second stint in north London.
The 28-year-old coming back to N17 is, potentially, a very realistic possibility as a report by Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness) share an update on the matter.
Both Tottenham and Barca chiefs, during tonight's friendly match at the Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys in Catalonia, have scheduled a summit and fresh round of talks over Lenglet's transfer.
The La Liga champions, for their part, see this as a "magnificent opportunity" to finally finalise the defender's sale and rid themselves of his hefty wages.
There is a price named as well, as Sport claim the potential move could amount to a small €5 million (£4.3m), a fee which may rise to €15m (£12.9m) if add-ons are met.
After tonight's meeting, further developments are expected.
What's been said about Clement Lenglet?
Spurs pundit John Wenham, speaking to Football Insider last season, heaped praise on the former Sevilla star after a solid north London derby outing against Arsenal.
Wenham said Lenglet appeared in the mould of a "very reliable" player who could be called upon to do a solid job as part of Tottenham's defence.
“I just wanted to give credit because I think his performance went a little bit under the radar. I have been impressed with him so far," said Wenham on Lenglet.
“The fact he has instantly come in for Ben Davies and we don’t look any weaker, that is a huge credit to him really.
“He’s a new signing to the Premier League, I know he has a lot of experience from Barcelona and with France but he already seems very reliable, like we could drop him in for any fixture.“
Bundesliga side Union Berlin have hit out at Joey Barton after his tweet which compared two female ITV pundits to serial killers.
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Union Berlin tweeted in response to BartonBarton had released another tweet aimed at female punditsUnion describe situation as 'depressing sh*t'WHAT HAPPENED?
Union Berlin quote tweeted a statement released by ITV which defended their pundits, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, after Barton launched an attack on X (formerly Twitter). Barton had described Aluko and Ward as "the Fred and Rose West of football commentary" in yet another baseless and sexist attack on female pundits.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT UNION BERLIN SAID
In response to Barton, Union Berlin said: "For any of our fans in England following this depressing sh*t who may not be sure, we are proud to have women working in our men’s departments as we are to have men working in our women’s departments. Football is universal, chauvinism cannot win. Eisern!!!"
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Barton's ridiculous attacks on female pundits have been ongoing for a number of weeks now – prompting wide and deserved criticism. The former Premier League player is currently unemployed since his sacking by Bristol Rovers, and he is expected to remain out of work for the foreseeable.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR UNION BERLIN?
The Bundesliga side return to action next weekend as they travel to Freiburg hoping to climb further away from the relegation zone.
M Vijay and Virat Kohli added 283 for the third wicket, utterly dispiriting Sri Lanka until Lakshan Sandakan gave them something to cheer with two quick wickets late in the day
The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy02-Dec-20172:12
Chopra: Vijay showed he’s India’s No. 1 opener
In deference to the Indian team management’s wishes, there was grass on the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, but Virat Kohli, at the toss, wished there could have been more. It certainly wasn’t enough to turn New Delhi into Newlands, and India, instead of fighting for survival against snarling South African fast bowlers, settled into a typically subcontinental bat-first, bat-big pattern against a limited Sri Lanka attack, facing more spin (59 overs) than seam (31) on day one.For most of the day, Sri Lanka had nothing to cheer as M Vijay and Virat Kohli added 283 for the third wicket, their partnership an exhibition of relentless self-control and a hunger for runs that never tipped over into greed. India rattled along at more than four an over, and as the shadows lengthened, it seemed as if India would end the day only two down.But wristspin can do strange things, and Lakshan Sandakan, whose figures at that point read 20.5-0-109-0, sent down a deliciously-flighted wrong’un, slanting it across Vijay and asking him to reach out to drive. He didn’t pick the direction of turn, groped for the ball, and missed, dragging his back foot out of the crease in the process. Niroshan Dickwella, quick and nimble, did the rest.In his next over, Sandakan repeated the trick against Ajinkya Rahane. The line was a little wider this time, but again the ball landed on that perfect length, broke in the direction the batsman did not anticipate, and again Dickwella removed the bails with the batsman’s toe on the line. India had gone from 361 for 2 to 365 for 4. Sandakan, whose bowling until that point had made Sri Lanka yearn for the control of the absent Rangana Herath, was now doing what he had been picked to do.Still, this was India’s day. At stumps, Kohli was batting on 156, his third hundred in a row and the quickest – he only took 110 balls to reach three figures – of his 20 in Tests. In the process, he also became the fourth-quickest Indian batsman to 5000 Test runs, getting there in his 105th innings.Until the moment of Sandakan’s transformation, Vijay and Kohli had looked utterly secure. Aside from a couple of clearly not-out lbw shouts, their dominance had gone unchallenged, and, in an indictment of the two specialist spinners, the one bowler who had come remotely close to creating chances was the part-time offspinner Dhananjaya de Silva.On 122, Vijay drove early and sent the ball looping towards midwicket rather than the intended direction of cover; it fell just short of the diving Dinesh Chandimal. Then, on 154, he sent an uppish flick in the same direction. This time it eluded the fingertips of the debutant Roshen Silva. In between, de Silva also found Kohli’s leading edge, which fell between the bowler and mid-off.Bowling exclusively from around the wicket, de Silva ended the day with figures of 0 for 45 in 15 overs. Sandakan and Dilruwan Perera finished with a combined 3 for 207 from 44 overs.The foundation of Kohli’s innings was his supreme reading of the spinners’ length, and thereafter his footwork to pounce on marginal lapses. Before lunch, for instance, he took a massive stride out to a good-length ball from Lakshan Sandakan and bisected wide mid-on and deep midwicket with a whip of his wrists. On 68, he went the other way, deep into his crease, to shorten the length of an otherwise decent Dilruwan Perera delivery and bring his wrists into play once more to find the gap between short fine leg and deep square leg.For the quicker bowlers, a “good” length was a fairly small area on this pitch. When they strayed remotely off that area, Kohli and Vijay were quick to put the ball away. Vijay gave a good demonstration of this with a pair of boundaries in the 23rd over, off Lahiru Gamage: a cover drive, followed by a wristy on-drive, both off balls that were far from half-volleys. Kohli, meanwhile, raced from 43 to 55 courtesy three fours off one Gamage over, the pick of them an on-the-up drive through the covers.Vijay went to tea on 101, and resumed with a flurry of attractive boundaries – an inside-out cover drive off Dilruwan, a square-drive off Gamage, a reverse-paddle off Dilruwan. He would only hit one more four after that, though, as he took the singles on offer and made sure he would do everything in his power to keep his quest for that long-yearned-for maiden double-hundred alive. This time, it would really take a good ball to get him out.This hadn’t been true of Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara, who both got off to breezy starts before falling against the run of play.Once it became clear there was little help in this pitch for the quicks, Dhawan and Vijay were quickly on their way, driving freely on the up and hitting eight fours in the first ten overs. Sri Lanka brought on spin as early as the eighth over, and Dilruwan continued to worry his team with his inconsistent lengths, Dhawan picking up two fours behind point in his first two overs. But he grew a little greedy, and picked out deep square leg with a top-edged sweep on 23. Suranga Lakmal briefly lost the ball in the hazy atmosphere, and lost a shoe while hurriedly changing direction, but managed to hold on.It was Dilruwan’s 100th Test wicket. He might not be the most frugal of spinners, but he has the knack of taking wickets – his 100th had come up in his 25th Test, and no Sri Lankan had got there quicker. Muttiah Muralitharan had taken 27 Tests.In walked Pujara, whose last four partnerships with Vijay read 107, 178, 102 and 209. They seemed to be continuing from where they left off in Nagpur, while scoring twice as quickly, and Pujara in particular was putting the bowlers through the shredder, hitting four fours in the space of three overs, including two back-foot whips off marginally short balls from Dilruwan. But this time, the partnership would only get as far as 36.Lahiru Gamage broke it, Sri Lanka profiting from the same plan that had brought them Pujara’s wicket in the second innings in Galle in late July. Then, he had flicked a full ball from Lahiru Kumara to leg gully. Now, he tucked one off his legs in the same direction, just uppishly enough for Sadeera Samarawickrama to take a sharp catch falling to his left.
The 39-year-old stitched three strong partnerships to stretch Vidarbha’s lead, while Ishan Porel’s five-for helped Bengal climb to the second spot on the Group D table
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2017Ishan Porel’s 5 for 32 helped Bengal inflict an innings defeat on Punjab, who were bundled out for 213 in their second innings, in Amritsar. The bonus-point win took Bengal to second place in Group D.Abhishek Raman resumed batting for Bengal, with him racing to his second 150-plus score of the season early on the day. Following Shreevats Goswami’s dismissal in the 100th over, a collapse was triggered by Siddarth Kaul, as three more wickets fell within the next five overs, leaving Bengal at 316 for 6. The lower order chipped in with 50 more runs, as Bengal declared on 379 shortly before lunch.Although Punjab were off to a decent start in their second innings, seamer Porel prompted a top-order collapse as they lost three wickets in three successive overs. Anmolpreet Singh and Gurkeerat Singh sparked the resistance for Punjab with their 90-run fourth-wicket stand, taking them to 129 for 3 in the next 17 overs. However, Bengal bowlers struck back-to-back, reducing the hosts to 189 for 8, before Porel came back to clear the tail and helped Bengal complete the big win.Diwesh Pathania’s seven-for handed Chhattisgarh an innings defeat as the hosts slipped from 79 for 2 to 133 all out on the penultimate day in Raipur, as Services brought up their first win of the season.Chhattisgarh lost Siddharth Chandrakar and Ashutosh Singh early on the day, following which Abhimanyu Chauhan and Manoj Singh shared a 41-run partnership for the second-wicket. Pathania triggered Chhattisgarh’s first collapse as he dismissed four batsmen within the next eight overs. Rishabh Tiwary, who had retired hurt on the second day, came back to strike a 36-run stand with Sumit Ruikar. The second collapse followed – it was Bahadur’s turn this time, as he picked three wickets in a span of three overs. Pathania returned in the next over and dismissed Prateek Sinha, to finish with match figures of 11 for 86.Wasim Jaffer’s unbeaten 158 underpinned Vidarbha’s dominance as they declared on 427 against Goa on the penultimate day in Porvorim. Following a 117-run partnership with Sanjay Ramaswamy, Jaffer went on to strike an 87-run stand with Shalabh Shrivastava (116-ball 45), taking Vidarbha to a first-innings lead. Ganesh Satish joined Jaffer at the crease for the fourth-wicket, as the pair went on to add 171 runs more before the declaration. In their second innings, Goa lost Sumiran Amonkar and Prathmesh Gawas within the first six overs and were 19 for 2 at stumps, trailing by 169 runs.
Aston Villa have bolstered their playing squad with three new signings during the summer transfer window but one of their players is now being touted with an exit…
What's the latest Aston Villa transfer news?
According to the Daily Mail, Burnley have submitted an offer of £12m to sign Villans attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
The report claims that the Clarets are in talks with the club over a deal to snap up the England youth international after they won promotion from the Championship last term.
Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…
Unai Emery has brought in Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, and Pau Torres to strengthen his team and it remains to be seen whether or not he is willing to sanction an exit for Jacob Ramsey's brother.
How good is Aaron Ramsey?
The Villa head coach must avoid the first big transfer blunder of his time at the club by keeping hold of the English dynamo instead of selling him to Burnley this summer.
Ramsey is an exciting young talent who is coming off the back of an impressive second-tier campaign with Norwich and Middlesbrough on loan.
The Villans should not be quick to move on such a promising prospect as the potential is there for him to be a big player for the club in the future if he is able to develop and translate his Championship and academy form over to the Premier League.
Last season, Ramsey averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.97 across 29 league matches for Boro and the Canaries combined, which is a score that only three Villa players – John McGinn, Emi Martinez, and Douglas Luiz – bettered in the Premier League.
The magical technician produced an impressive eight goals and four assists from an attacking midfield position, which shows that the young gem is capable of making things happen at the top end of the pitch with regularity despite his age and inexperience.
Meanwhile, no Villa midfielder managed more than six top-flight goals during the 2022/23 campaign and only two players in that position provided more than four assists.
Ramsey, who was dubbed "selfless" by ex-boss Michael Carrick, caught the eye in the Championship after enjoying a terrific time at U21 level for the Villans. He racked up 15 goals and eight assists in 30 U21 matches for the club prior to his first-team breakthrough.
This shows that the 20-year-old magician has been able to make a big impact for Villa's youth team and at two different second-division clubs, which means that he has been able to adapt and remain consistent despite having to play in varying leagues and with various managers and teammates.
Therefore, Ramsey could be able to handle the step up to the Premier League with Villa and could be a player with the potential to burst onto the scene this season as a goal scoring and creating midfielder.
This is why Emery must not sanction a move toTurf Moor for the academy graduate as he could be a terrific option for the Spanish head coach and improve his midfield's goal output if given an opportunity over the months to come.
Vinicius Junior has trolled Almeria following his 'handball' goal for Real Madrid, with the Brazilian claiming to have used Copacabana beach tactics.
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