Romano: Man Utd bid £20m+ to sign versatile star keen on Old Trafford move

Manchester United have made a bid worth more than £20m to sign a versatile new player for Ruben Amorim, and he’s keen on a move to Old Trafford.

Man Utd transfer rumours

The Red Devils and INOES are yet to make a marquee first-team signing in 2025, despite there being plenty of rumours regarding potential incomings.

Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande has been mooted as a target with Amorim requesting the services of the centre-back and those in Manchester reportedly preparing a £50m+ offer. Elsewhere, United have “expressed concrete interest” in Borussia Dortmund forward Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who was previously on the books of Manchester City.

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However, there are also a plethora of stars who could depart Old Trafford before the February 3 deadline. Marcus Rashford continues to be linked with numerous clubs across Europe, with his preferred destination being a move to Barcelona.

Antony looks set to be closing in on a loan move to Real Betis, whereas Alejandro Garnacho is of permanent interest to Serie A side Napoli. Tyrell Malacia is another who could depart in the coming days, with left-back continuing to be a problem area at Old Trafford.

Lecce’s Patrick Dorgu has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester as INEOS look to solve that area of the pitch in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, and a new update has now emerged.

Man Utd make offer to sign Patrick Dorgu

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd have sent a formal bid to sign Dorgu from Lecce. The financial package sent by the Red Devils to the Serie A side was worth €27m (£22.8m) plus add-ons, however, that has seemingly been rejected by Lecce.

Dorgu is also wanted by Napoli ahead of the summer, however, the player is keen on a move to Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old, already a four-cap Denmark international, can play as a left-back, left midfielder or even as a right winger, so would give Amorim a versatile option should he move to Manchester.

As per Transfermarkt, Dorgu’s market value has rocketed from €400,000 to a career-high €20m in the space of 18 months, so he appears to be a star in the making.

He’s made more than 50 senior appearances for Lecce after joining in 2023 from FC Nordsjaelland, the majority of which have come as a left-back and was hailed by international teammate Joachim Andersen, who said:

“Dorgu is an offensive back with lots of power and speed. He is left-footed, which helps us a lot. We also have VK (Victor Kristiansen), who is left-footed, but Dorgu is a bit more offensive.

“I see they [Dorgu and Morten Frendrup] have a lot of energy. They have a lot of audacity, and they are slightly different types of players than we have seen in the national team in the last several years.”

Arsenal must axe 5/10 dud who now needs to be replaced by Matheus Cunha

We’re only two games into 2025 for Arsenal and it already looks as though their title charge is lingering in the dust.

The Gunners have dropped points at some vital moments this term but their 1-1 draw against Brighton has perhaps firmly planted the final nail in the coffin.

Twice Mikel Arteta’s men have dropped points against the Seagulls this term and on both occasions, it’s been in controversial circumstances.

At the beginning of the campaign, Declan Rice was sent off for delaying the restart after a red card that has scarcely been seen in Premier League history.

Away at Brighton on Saturday evening, Arsenal dropped points again and it was a contentious penalty that proved to be their downfall.

William Saliba and Joao Pedro contested for the ball and grazed heads which caused the Brighton attacker to go down holding his face. There was contact but it was remarkably soft and wasn’t overturned on VAR review.

Pedro stepped up and fired home his penalty to give the hosts a share of the spoils.

For Arsenal, they could be eight points behind Liverpool come 7pm this evening after Arne Slot’s side have faced Manchester United.

Arteta could at least dip his toes into the transfer window this month and one player they should be all over is Matheus Cunha.

The latest on Matheus Cunha to Arsenal

Reports at the beginning of this transfer window have suggested that Arsenal will push to acquire the Wolves forward this month.

There have even been claims that the London side have closed in on personal terms with the Brazilian ahead of a potential move in 2025.

Matheus Cunha

That said, any deal over the winter looks as though it will be incredibly difficult to complete due to the fee involved and his role at Wolves.

The latest on his future is that allegedly, he has agreed a new deal with the Molineux outfit which will no doubt bump his price tag up should a move occur.

With the former Atletico Madrid forward penning those fresh terms, it would make a deal far more likely in the summer than during January.

Either way, Arsenal could certainly do with a player of his calibre judging by the performance of a certain Leandro Trossard against Brighton.

Leandro Trossard’s performance in numbers

Arsenal have been battling to find form in the final third this season and that hasn’t been helped in recent weeks by Bukayo Saka’s heartbreaking hamstring injury.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Ethan Nwaneri has deputised well, scoring the Gunners’ only goal at the Amex this weekend. However, after being withdrawn at half time with a muscular injury, it leaves Arteta searching for more answers.

Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli – the scorer of recent goals against Crystal Palace and Brentford – have been positives but Trossard is still failing to cover himself in much glory.

The Belgian registered the assist for the game’s only goal in the 1-0 win over Ipswich during the festive period but he just simply hasn’t been up to scratch for large patches of 2024/25 to date.

Last season, the 30-year-old was Arsenal’s second top scorer with 16 but he has only found the net four times from 27 outings this term.

No one in the club’s forward line, Nwaneri aside, really did anything of note against Trossard’s former employers on Saturday but the Belgium international was by far one of the worst performers.

Handed a 5/10 match rating by the Standard’s Simon Collings, he noted that it was ‘a pretty quiet game back at his old club’ and that he ‘didn’t really get into the game much’. The Athletic’s Aaron Catterson-Reid was slightly more harsh with assessment, simply commenting that Trossard was “so so bad”.

That was certainly apt as the winger failed to register a single shot on target, produced no key passes and had fewer touches (49) than goalkeeper David Raya (58).

Trossard vs Brighton

Minutes played

90

Touches

49

Accurate passes

31/35 (89%)

Key passes

0

Accurate crosses

0/2

Long balls

0

Shots on target

0

Shots off target

1

Shots blocked

2

Successful dribbles

1/1

Duels won

4/5

Stats via Sofascore.

Trossard did complete his one and only dribble attempt in the match but his inability to fashion chances and get involved in the play showed exactly why Arsenal need to sign a player like Cunha.

This season, despite Wolves’ struggles, he has scored ten goals in 19 Premier League appearances. Cunha isn’t a Saka-level player but few players are and Arsenal must push as hard as they can to either sign him or another forward this winter.

If Saka’s injury hasn’t already forced their hands, then the events of Saturday certainly should have.

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INEOS given unanimous backing in "transformational" Man Utd stadium update

Turning their attention away from troubles on the pitch, INEOS have reportedly received unanimous backing in what has been described as a “transfomational” Manchester United stadium update.

INEOS given green light

When Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS first arrived with the likes of Dan Ashworth in tow, there was more optimism than there had been for a long time at Manchester United. The influence of the Glazers had been weakened and INEOS arrived fresh full of ideas, new transfer strategies and the funds to awaken England’s biggest tiring giant threatening to sleep.

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Almost a year on from the news of their partial takeover, however, and to say that INEOS haven’t exactly been making positive strides would be an understatement. Funding has been cut in a number of areas outside of the matchday squad, including reportedly to the Manchester United Foundation whilst ticket prices have continued to rise.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, those increased ticket prices have not proven worthwhile with Ruben Amorim’s side sat a world away from European qualification and on the end of countless results to forget. But, just as a positive is needed more than ever, Ratcliffe has received some good news.

As relayed by Mike Keegan of The Daily Mail, INEOS have now been given unanimous backing in their plan to build a new Old Trafford from the local authority. Officials at Trafford council unanimously backed the plans which will create a new 100,000-seater stadium.

Dubbed “transformational” by the council, INEOS will now begin their search for a consultant team in an attempt to bring their plan to life and play their part in regenerating the area. It is also believed that the new project will add £7.3bn to the economy and provide over 90,000 jobs and 15,0000 more homes in what should only be seen as something to celebrate for the first time this season.

New Old Trafford a key step for Man Utd

Leaving their failure on the pitch to one side for a moment, Manchester United have been playing at a historic ground which is gradually becoming a decaying antique whilst the likes of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur move on into impressive, modern stadiums. With Old Trafford leaking at the same rate as Amorim’s backline, INEOS had to put plans together to solve at least one problem and it seems as though a New Old Trafford has taken precedent.

Speaking about the proposed plan, Councillor Liz Patel, executive member for economy and regeneration at Trafford council, said: “I am delighted these plans have been approved by the council executive. As the report says, this is one of the most significant opportunities for urban renewal in Trafford and the results will be great for the area and the surrounding region.

“This is a hugely exciting project and working with our partners and private developers, we will be looking to create thousands of new homes, new neighbourhoods, and a world-class setting for the Manchester United stadium.”

خاص | مهاجم عربي على رادار الزمالك

تلقى مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، خلال الساعات المقبلة ترشيحًا لأحد المهاجمين من أجل تدعيم صفوف فريق الكرة الأول.

ويبحث الزمالك عن تدعيمات قوية للفريق الأول لكرة القدم، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية المقبلة للعودة للمنافسة على البطولات.

طالع.. الزمالك يكشف حقيقة عدم التقدم بشكوى في الفيفا ضد بوبيندزا

وعلم بطولات من مصادر خاصة أن العراقي مهند علي معروض على الزمالك ضمن المرشحين لدعم مركز رأس الحربة في الموسم المقبل.

ومن المقرر أن ينتهي عقد مهند مع ناديه الشرطة العراقي، نهاية الموسم الجاري، حيث يركز مسئولو الزمالك على الصفقات المجانية بسبب الأزمة المالية.

ويمتلك الزمالك في مركز المهاجم التونسي سيف الدين الجزيري، وناصر منسي، وحسام أشرف بالإضافة إلى الشاب السنغالي سيدي نداياي.

ويستعد الزمالك، في الوقت الحالي لمواجهة بتروجيت، ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة من مرحلة الحسم في مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

Com foco em parte tática e finalização, São Paulo segue em treinamento para enfrentar o Avaí

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo deu sequência a sua preparação antes de enfrentar o Avaí no próximo sábado (4) na manhã desta quinta-feira (2) no CT da Barra Funda.

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Após um circuito em que todos os atletas trabalharam deslocamentos, cruzamentos e finalizações, o técnico Rogério Ceni separou duas equipes para realizar ajustes táticos.

Por fim, enquanto um grupo focava emposicionamento defensivo, outro repetia finalizações. Sobre os desfalques deste treino,Andrés Colorado, Talles Costa, Gabriel Sara e Nikão continuam no tratamento de suas lesões.

O São Paulo volta a campo no próximo sábado (4) contra o Avaí, às 19h, no estádio da Ressacada, pelo Brasileirão 2022.

Newcastle now racing to sign in-demand Almiron upgrade in £17m deal

As they look to boost their attacking options, Newcastle United have reportedly joined the race to sign an instant upgrade on Miguel Almiron, who looks destined to leave St James’ Park.

3 in, 3 out? 6 players who could join or leave Newcastle United in January

Newcastle United will be looking to do some transfer business this month.

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Ross Kilvington

Jan 8, 2025

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies endured a mixed opening half to the Premier League campaign before discovering their best form throughout December. Now, with one eye on a Carabao Cup final following a 2-0 first-leg victory over Arsenal, Eddie Howe could yet welcome some key upgrades in the January transfer window to potentially push his side into the Premier League’s top four.

On that front, several names have already threatened to steal the headlines, with the likes of Antoine Semenyo potentially emerging to hand Alexander Isak the ultimate attacking partner.

The Bournemouth winger has so far enjoyed an excellent season for the Cherries and could have done enough to earn himself a move within the Premier League. However, he’s not the only attacking reinforcement that the Tyneside club have seemingly set their sights on.

According to reports in Spain, Newcastle have joined the race to sign Jeremay Hernandez from Deportivo La Coruna. The young winger reportedly has a release clause of just €20m (£17m) at the Spanish Segunda Division side, and is now on the radar of the Magpies, as well as several other potential suitors.

Still just 22 years old, Hernandez could quickly provide Howe with an upgrade on Almiron, who has reportedly been offered to the likes of Leicester City this month as Newcastle look to cash in on their out-of-favour winger.

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Selling the ageing Almiron before welcoming the younger and in-form Hernandez would certainly represent wise business from all involved at St James’ Park, but it remains to be seen whether they will trigger his release clause.

Hernandez can force Almiron sale

If Hernandez were to arrive, it would all but signal the end of Almiron’s time in a Newcastle shirt. Whilst the Paraguay international more than played his part in Newcastle’s recent rise from relegation contenders into top-four hopefuls, there’s no doubt he is past his best and no longer a reliable option for Howe to call upon.

Instead, Newcastle should turn their attention towards a rising star in Hernandez, who could swap Spain’s second division for the biggest stage in the form of the Premier League. Scoring seven goals and assisting a further three for Deportivo this season, the 22-year-old is more than ready to step back into the top flight – be it in Spain or England.

As the January transfer window rolls on, Newcastle have certainly set their sights on attacking additions, whether it is Semenyo, Hernandez or another option.

Semenyo has Premier League experience, but Hernandez is an exciting candidate to replace Almiron in his own right to hand Newcastle quite the decision to make by the end of the transfer window.

'We gave everything' – Harry Kane delivers honest assessment on 'criminal' Champions League exit as Bayern Munich star suffers another blow in hunt for silverware

Harry Kane says Bayern Munich "gave everything" in their Champions League exit to Inter Milan but the two goals they let in were "criminal".

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Bayern draw 2-2 at Inter MilanKnocked out of Champions LeagueKane says they "gave everything"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After losing the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final 2-1, Bayern's hopes of a comeback were well and truly on when Kane scored shortly after half-time at the San Siro. But set-piece goals from Lautaro Martinez and Benjamin Pavard turned the tie back in the home team's favour, despite Eric Dier's equaliser. Following the dramatic 2-2 draw and the 4-3 aggregate loss, Kane reflected on his side's exit from the competition on Wednesday.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT HARRY KANE SAID

He said after the game: "We gave everything to win. We had enough chances over the two legs. Conceding two goals from set pieces today was criminal. It completely shifted the momentum. We came very close. Football is about moments, they took theirs more than us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bayern put up a spirited display against Inter but it wasn't enough as Kane's wait for a first trophy went on. Now all his hopes lie in the German giants winning the Bundesliga, where they have a six-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen with five games remaining.

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Kane's Bayern will look to bounce back from this setback when they travel to Heidenheim on Saturday in the Bundesliga.

Marco Jansen: 'We don't take anything for granted because Mother Cricket will kick you in the backside'

Koos Jansen spotted the cricketing talent of his twin sons, Marco and Duan, when they were nine-years-old and ran with it. Much like Richard Williams, who masterminded Venus and Serena’s rise to being among the best players tennis has ever seen, Koos made it his mission to train and talk to his kids about the sport he believed they would excel in, becoming cricket’s equivalent of King Richard. Let’s call him King Koos.Like Williams, and in keeping with a few other famous cricketing dads, Koos Jansen wasn’t always gentle in his methods.”There have been some very tough times when my dad was very tough on us,” Marco Jansen, South Africa’s 22-year old tearaway, said. “There was no sugarcoating. Back then, he spoke to us in the same way he is speaking to us now. Nothing has changed. That enabled us to grow and mature a bit quicker than all the other kids when we were a bit young.Related

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“Since we were growing up, he is the one that has been – not the tough guy – but harder on us, especially when it comes to sport.” Koos demanded the best from his boys in other spheres too, such as academics. “But we weren’t that great,” Jansen said.By Jansen’s own admission, and despite some eye-watering numbers (164 and 80 respectively) in a T20 game for example, the pair were not stand-out youth players either. “My high school career didn’t go well. I wasn’t the top schoolboy cricketer,” Jansen said.Neither of he nor Duan played in an Under-19 World Cup and both made their names as net bowlers. In a professional era where the pathways are clearly laid out, and usually followed, theirs is the stuff of fairytales, which is why when Jansen made his Test debut, with only 18 first-class appearances to his name (and of those only half in South Africa’s top-tier of domestic cricket), he could barely believe his good fortune. “If you had told me you will make your debut against India in South Africa, I would have laughed and said, no, there’s no chance,” he said.There was an element of his selection which was about him being in the right place at the right time. South Africa were without Anrich Nortje for that India series and would have picked Duanne Olivier for the Boxing Day Test but he had not fully recovered from Covid-19 and was nursing a hamstring niggle. When Jansen’s name appeared on the team-sheet, it was a surprise and he found himself under scrutiny immediately.He was nervous and his first spell was wayward but he returned later in the match and showed off an ability to swing the ball at pace, to exploit any bounce and to challenge even the best. In India’s second innings, Jansen dismissed Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Siraj to finish his debut match with five wickets.He has since added KL Rahul – three times – Cheteshwar Pujara and most recently Joe Root to his list of wickets and continues to ask serious questions of marquee players. In Root’s case, Jansen struck him on the pad with a delivery that shaped in and the amount of movement on offer at Lord’s surprised Jansen himself. “I didn’t expect the ball to swing that much,” Jansen said. “The plan was to stick around that off stump or fourth stump area and let the ball pass through there. If it nips back then it brings all dismissals into play and if it just straightens, you can nick him off. When you get the big names out, it’s always a good feeling.”Duan (left) and Marco Jansen with Virat Kohli in the nets on India’s 2018 tour•Koos Jansen

The best, in fact. Though Jansen has an IPL deal and was among the players who opted out of the series against Bangladesh earlier in the year, he spoke of Test cricket as the highlight of becoming an international. “I enjoy the red-ball format. It’s the format where what you put in, you get out. If you bowl well, you will get wickets. If you bat well, you will score runs,” he said. “That’s what I have enjoyed the most. And just being around the guys, they make it [nice] to play the game.”As the youngest in the group, Jansen is soaking up the knowledge from players who are much more experienced than him, much like he did with his dad.”Like today, we had a long practice session, so then you chat to them and you ask all the nitty gritty stuff,” he said of South Africa’s preparations for the second Test at Old Trafford. “They help you think out of the box. And there’s the coaches as well. They bring a different perspective. There’s a lot of angles or perspectives you have at your disposal to try and figure out what you can do to give yourself the best chance to perform.”There’s also some advice about what not to do. Naturally, because of Jansen’s frame – he stands at 2.06 metres tall – there are concerns about overbowling him and injuries. He has already overcome what was turning into a stress fracture of the lower back. “I’ve had problems when I was 18 or 19 – a semi-stress fracture in the lower back. I have grown a lot quicker for my body to adjust to my muscles and all those kinds of stuff.”To try to prevent future issues, he has to work specifically on his lower body and abdominal area. “My core has to be strong. My glutes, my lower body have to be very strong because that’s where most of my loads go. Because I twist a lot, if my core muscles are quite strong, then I have a base to work from.”That’s how Jansen’s entire career has been. He has the foundations laid by his family (and he wants you to know that Koos was also always there for “a bit of love and a bit of softness”) and he built on those by almost immediately joining the best cricketers in the country and turning out regularly for them. And it’s not just any international team.After the last year South Africa have had in Tests, and their performance at Lord’s, there’s already talk this pace pack could become one of the best going around. Asked if he thought the South Africa attack was as good as it could be, Jansen checked himself. “I wouldn’t say we are unbeatable. We put in the hard yards and we are still putting in the hard yards,” he said. “We don’t take anything for granted because we know when we do that, Mother Cricket is going to kick you on the backside.”Or make that, Papa (King) Koos.

Third Test 'like a World Cup final' – Dean Elgar

Captain ready for “biggest Test so far” in his tenure as SA chase crucial WTC points

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2022

Dean Elgar prepares for “the biggest Test so far in my captaincy” on match eve at The Oval•PA Images via Getty Images

It’s nine months away from the World Test Championship final but South Africa are already playing what captain Dean Elgar has labelled “pretty much like a World Cup final,” in the deciding Test against England.With the series locked 1-1 and South Africa sitting second on the WTC points table, 12 behind Australia, the significance of this match has been so heightened that Elgar sees it as among the most crucial Tests this group of players has been involved in and he wants them to show that in their performance.”It’s the biggest Test so far in my captaincy period. I reckon it’s the biggest. I think the players know that, they sense that,” Elgar said. “We’ve got to play every game like it’s your last. This is one of those where you have to play like it’s your last. You have to empty the tank more times than none. You can’t leave anything behind. You’ve got to leave everything on that field. It’s huge. It’s massive for us.”For Elgar, the importance of this Test is three-fold: 1. It’s an opportunity for this squad to win a series in England for the first time after the golden generation did it in 2012 and 2008; 2. It will be a big step towards securing a WTC final spot and also feeling ready to play in a one-off red-ball final if they get there; 3. It’s the second-last time South Africa will play a three-Test series (Australia at the end of the year is the last) before 2026 and some of the current group may not be playing then which means tie-breakers are not going to be a feature of the next cycle and should be relished now.”I’ve never experienced a Test series win against England in 10 years of playing. It would be an unreal feeling for myself and massive for the younger guys in our change-room,” Elgar said. “From a confidence point of view, it can kind of give us a little edge going into the potential World Test Championship final. We are in a very good spot. We know if we manage to win this game, we are back at No.1 which will be really nice. It’s a very very big game for us.”Related

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There’s rain around and an inevitability of interruptions, but Elgar dismissed thoughts that the hype could turn into a soggy draw, given the fast-forward way both teams approach their game. “There’s definitely going to be a winner. With the styles of cricket we’ve been playing, there is definitely going to be a result,” he said. “We can’t control the weather but I am pretty confident there’s going to be a victor and there will be someone that loses. Going into this Test one-all, it’s pretty much like a World Cup final for us. That’s the way I am viewing it. We are going in with a result in mind and we’ve got to give our best effort for that.”The teams come into this fixture after an 11-day break (lengthened from nine days because the second Test ended inside three) during which South Africa “did not pick a bat,” Keegan Petersen said yesterday, or presumably any balls besides golf balls. They set up camp at the Belfry Resort, half-an-hour north-east of Birmingham and “played a bit of golf and we did a bit of go-carting as a team,” Elgar said. Both were competitive. “We had a few days away from the game, out of the noise, the hustle and bustle and just trying to refocus and realign and remind ourselves why we are here. We are here to win a Test series.”To do that, South Africa have to bat better than they have done in this series, and probably better than they have since Elgar took over. They’ve only crossed 400 once in the 11 Tests since he was named permanent captain, against Bangladesh in Gqeberha, and in the five times they’ve scored 300-plus, it’s the lower order that got them there. “Upfront it’s pretty tough. We haven’t executed the runs as of yet,” Elgar said.Dean Elgar and Ryan Rickelton talk during a nets session at Lord’s•PA Images via Getty Images

South Africa’s top six – which is certain to have one change with Ryan Rickelton coming in for the injured Rassie van der Dussen, but could have two if Khaya Zondo replaces Aiden Markram – is under pressure and Elgar expects them to perform. “I understand how much top-order runs means for a team to set up a chance of victory. We’ve spoken at length about this topic. It’s now time to walk the walk.”Elgar is fit to lead the charge as he brushed off a knock to the shoulder administered by his coach Mark Boucher on the toughest training session before the match, which South Africa routinely undertake a few days before the Test. “We have competition day, which is two or three days out from the Test. Our head coach was in the competition yesterday,” he explained. “It’s not the first blow I’ve taken. I’ve learnt how to get over those things.”Both he and South Africa have also “got over,” the defeat in Manchester and won’t be gloating about their win at Lord’s as they isolate the Oval Test as one for the ages. “We know it (the Old Trafford loss) wasn’t our proudest moment. You have to go through the grievance and jog on. You have to. You can’t be pining for too long in Test cricket,” Elgar said. “We are still pretty fresh. We’ve only had six days of Test cricket. With regards to freshness, we’ve got no excuse. With regards to hunger, we’ve got no excuse. Guys have to stand up and bring out their best game.”

Aston Villa keen on hijack to sign "smart" England int’l in bargain deal

With Jhon Duran on his way to Al-Nassr, Aston Villa are now reportedly eyeing a late hijack to sign an England international in what would be a bargain deal for Unai Emery.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have been among those at the centre of the transfer window since it swung open at the start of the month, welcoming both Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia whilst continuing their chase to sign a central defender.

Rather than an incoming, however, it’s exit news which has instantly dominated the headlines, with Duran reportedly on the verge of completing a shock €77m (£64m) move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

It’s the type of big-money sale that should instantly hand Aston Villa the spending power they need to get deals of their own over the line, which could yet see one England international arrive.

Aston Villa make contact to sign "smart" star who Emery personally wants

He desperately needs a move…

ByTom Cunningham Jan 29, 2025

According to Caught Offside, Aston Villa are now keen to hijack West Ham United’s move to sign Angel Gomes who could be available for a bargain price late on in the window with his current contract coming to an end at LOSC Lille this summer.

The former Manchester United man has thrived since finding his feet in France and even earned his first England call-up turning Lee Carsley’s temporary spell in charge of the Three Lions. It was then that the midfielder seemingly re-emerged onto the radar of the Premier League.

Now, those in the Midlands could swoop in and hand Gomes the chance to earn Premier League redemption this month.

"Smart" Gomes would increase Aston Villa control

If Aston Villa want to become an established Champions League side then adding more control to their game will be key. The Villans must break out of the habit of conceding leads as they did against West Ham last time out in a game that they ought to be winning in pursuit of a top four place, and Gomes would undoubtedly help them do exactly that.

The Lille midfielder, alongside Youri Tielemans, would turn Emery’s midfield into the epitome of control just when they need it most. Whether they strike a deal as early as this month or during the summer, Gomes should be high up on Villa’s wishlist.

Described as a “smart passer” by analyst Ben Mattinson, there’s no doubt that Gomes will be one to watch as his contract continues to tick down.

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