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Aston Villa look set to pip the likes of Chelsea and Everton by winning the race for Dundee United defender Kerr Smith.

That’s according to The Daily Record’s Scott Burns, with a number of Villa fans reacting to the news on social media.

Villa have lost a centre-back this month with Axel Tuanzebe cutting his season-long loan short in order to join Napoli but appear to be closing in on Everton left-back Lucas Digne.

That leaves Steven Gerrard with Kortney Hause, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings as senior options, but it appears as if they will bolster their academy ranks with the acquisition of Smith.

Burns has revealed that Johan Lange has struck an agreement with Dundee United for the 17-year-old centre-back in a deal that could rise to £2m.

Smith is now set to travel to the Midlands to undergo a medical and finalise a ‘dream move’, with Villa pipping the likes of Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Southampton.

The youngster will initially integrate with Villa’s Under-23 side, despite making 12 senior appearances for Dundee United.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the update regarding Smith on Twitter. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the defender as a ‘beast’.

“£2m? Scottish club? Tasty”

Credit: @Jannetts_

“He’s a beast on football manager, so I’m more than ok with this”

Credit: @DaleAC93

“BOOM! Love this.”

Credit: @PhilHRoberts

“Him, Digne and a DM and I’m absolutely buzzing, 10/10”

Credit: @TomC2312_AVFC

“Good deal, very good deal”

Credit: @_VillaJack

“my football manager CB hero coming home, there’s a tear in my eye”

Credit: @tiwari0216

In other news: ‘This is a shock’ – Many Villa fans ‘buzzing’ as club confirm ‘big’ news. 

Reliable Aston Villa reporter Ashley Preece shared a story regarding a possible exit for striker Wesley Moraes in January.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts to the update on social media.

The 25-year-old made the move to the Midlands back in 2019 from Club Brugge in a deal worth £22.5m. However, the Brazilian struggled in England and was just beginning to show what he was capable of before he picked up a serious knee injury against Burnley back in 2020 – he has played just 120 minutes of senior football since.

Wesley was then sent on loan to Brugge over the summer but is yet to score and has started just one game, and it seems as if a return to his native country could be on the cards.

Birmingham Live cited reports from Brazil in a story on Monday evening, where Wesley’s agent claimed that Internacional and Sao Paulo were keen on a January move. He’s reportedly cut short his loan spell with Brugge, with Sao Paulo making a direct proposal to Villa.

Villa fans react

Preece shared the news on Twitter on Tuesday morning. This is what these Villa fans had to say, with a number still not over Ben Mee’s challenge and one describing the severity of the impact the injury had on Wesley’s career as ‘crazy’.

“Blokes was awful before his horror injury, and as a result of that he’s even worse now”

Credit: @CarlReevesAVFC

“This is what happens when you have teams who play the way Burnley do. It continues to be an absolute disgrace that he wasn’t punished for that “tackle”.”

Credit: @BillBones84

“Such a shame what happened to Wesley. Crazy how an injury can completely derail everything. Mind you surely worth keeping around as a 3rd choice striker for the season?”

Credit: @Benjmeister85

“Best thing for all concerned I think. Ben Mee ruined this guys career and didn’t even get a yellow card”

Credit: @coleman83avfc

“I’m surprised anybody is prepared to take that gamble. Since he came back from that injury he looks like he can barely run”

Credit: @DavidSmithAVFC

“It was an awful injury – and one that was recklessly inflicted – it will take a long time to recover from it – if he ever recovers. My loathing of Burnley and their thuggish ways is incapable of increasing.”

Credit: @Son_Lyme

In other news: Gerrard desperate to bring 19 y/o sensation to Villa; his last goal was watched 350k times. 

An exciting Rangers transfer claim has emerged, regarding the club’s plans for life after Connor Goldson at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

Sports reporter Pete O’Rourke has claimed that the Gers will be in the market for someone to come in for the ex-Brighton man and provided a snippet on Dutch defender Wesley Hoedt.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m sure they are drawing up potential replacements for Goldson, and I think Hoedt probably would fit the bill.”

Buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this update from the journalist as it suggests that a new centre-back may be on the agenda heading into January, which could be exciting for supporters.

Goldson is out of contract at the end of the season and signing a player next month to be his long-term successor could be a shrewd move by Gio van Bronckhorst.

With his deal up next summer, foreign teams can sign the defender on a pre-contract in January to snap him up for nothing in July and that means that the Gers would get nothing in return for the loss of his services. As a result, it would be beneficial for the club to look for a buyer at a cut-price next month in order to fund a replacement, whoever that may be.

O’Rourke mentions that Hoedt would ‘fit the bill’ and his form for Anderlecht this season backs up that claim. He has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.09 across 20 appearances, making 2.3 tackles and interceptions along with 4.1 clearances per game.

Goldson, meanwhile, has made 1.4 tackles and interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game, but averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.18. Whilst it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality between the two divisions, the statistics suggest that Hoedt could be a solid replacement for the Englishman if he is able to adapt to Scottish football as he has shown that he can be a consistently strong defender for Anderlecht.

Fans should get excited at the prospect of signing a centre-back of Hoedt’s stature, given he has also played for Lazio, Southampton, Celta Vigo and the Netherlands. They will be buzzing with the news that the club are drawing up plans to replace Goldson and the signing of the Dutchman as his replacement could add to their delight, because his recent form suggests that he could be an excellent addition.

AND in other news, Gvb heading for his first Rangers howler over £13k-p/w “great servant” at Ibrox…

Angus Porter has been appointed chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association

Cricinfo staff03-Mar-2010Angus Porter has been appointed chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, taking over from Vikram Solanki, who has held the position on a temporary basis since Sean Morris stepped down in October last year.”This is a dream role,” said Porter. “The opportunity to apply my business experience to a sport I love is a chance not to be missed. I look forward to the many challenges ahead and to building strong relationships in the game.”Solanki, who remains PCA chairman, as well as being Worcestershire’s captain, is looking forward to working with Porter. “I am delighted that Angus is joining us and that his passion for the game will help the PCA navigate the multiple cricket issues we are facing,” he said. “With the 2010 domestic season starting in April, the timing of Angus’s arrival is perfect.”Porter has previously held leading positions at British Telecom, Abbey National and Thomas Cook, and non-executive group chairman Anthony Wreford lauded his business acumen.”We are delighted that Angus has decided to join the PCA,” he said. “He brings proven business skills to the PCA which are critical given the PCA’s commercial activities. The PCA are particularly grateful to Vikram Solanki for stepping in as acting CEO during the winter months, a task he performed incredibly well.”

Sunderland have the opportunity to pull off a shock and reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup tonight as they face Arsenal away from home.

The Black Cats face the Premier League side two divisions above them and, therefore, will go into the game as the heavy underdogs and may be able to play with freedom without the weight of expectation weighing them down.

They come into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw with Ipswich at Portman Road in League One at the weekend, leaving Lee Johnson’s side third in the table.

How many changes will Johnson make? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Elliot Embleton, Denver Hume and Corry Evans coming in.

Leon Dajaku is reportedly set to miss out on the clash due to injury, which opens up a spot on the right for someone to come in. Hume came on to replace him at right wing-back at Portman Road and could slot in for him tonight at The Emirates, after winning four of his seven duels and completing three tackles despite playing in an unfamiliar position.

In midfield, Evans is reportedly fit for the game and could make his return. He could start ahead of Carl Winchester after the Northern Irishman’s worrying showing at the weekend. As per SofaScore, he lost four of his five ground duels and was dribbled past twice, without making a single tackle, interception, block or clearance.

This shows that he was too easily beaten in the middle of the park and, against a Premier League side, Johnson may want the experience of Evans to solidify the team. The 31-year-old has averaged 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game in League One, showing that he has the defensive nous to make interventions.

Finally, Alex Pritchard could be axed from the tip of the midfield. The £30k-per-week flop struggled against Ipswich, as he failed to create a single chance whilst winning just one of his four individual duels, and could now lose his place in the team.

Embleton, meanwhile, came off the bench and managed one key pass and won two of his three duels in just 27 minutes on the pitch. That cameo may be enough to convince Johnson to axe Pritchard from the XI in order to start the former Blackpool loanee.

Veteran Railways spinner is second slow bowler in two days to have his action scrutinised

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009The bowling action of Kulamani Parida, the veteran Railways spinner, has come under scrutiny after domestic officials cautioned the team management against bowling him. Parida has become the second spinner in two days to have his action questioned.Parida was stopped from bowling on Tuesday during Railways game against Tamil Nadu in Delhi by the on-field umpires Anil Chowdhury and Suresh Shastri. The pair, along with the match referee S Rajesh, advised the Railways management that Parida could be called for chucking if he was used again in the match. This decision was taken after the officials reviewed match footage of Parida’s action on the second day’s play.The footage has been sent to S Venkatraghavan, the director of the BCCI’s umpiring committee, who will analyse the action and take a call on Parida’s action.Parida has expressed his disappointment at the implications of the officials’ suggestions about him after a 13-year first-class career. “I have been playing for over 15 years, including junior cricket, and now they tell me my action is suspect,” he told the . “I am not an Under-22 player who is ready to go through anything because he wants to play for India one day. I am 32 years old now. If they tell me my action is not okay, I may just quit playing.”I don’t know how they’ve come to this conclusion. We were told that we can’t see the footage. I am clueless as to why this was done.”Fellow Railways left-arm spinner and captain Murali Kartik was convinced Parida’s action was fine. “If he chucked, he would’ve bowled the doosra,” he said. “You have to bend your arm a bit to bowl a doosra, but he has never been able to do that. So he can’t possibly be chucking.”Railways coach Abhay Sharma was also a perplexed man. “We have been put in a situation where we are a bowler short. We quizzed the umpires, but we were told that as per some new guidelines, we can’t get any answers.”

Iain O’Brien has said he and the rest of New Zealand’s bowling attack are “pretty sore but very happy” a day after winning the Dunedin Test

Cricinfo staff29-Nov-2009Iain O’Brien has said he and the rest of New Zealand’s bowling attack are “pretty sore but very happy” a day after dismissing Pakistan during a tense run-chase in Dunedin to take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.New Zealand went into the first match with a four-man bowling attack and, because part-timer Grant Elliott was unable to bowl because of a niggle, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, O’Brien and Daniel Vettori had to bear the increased workload.O’Brien’s performance was ordinary for the majority of the game. He had the tough job of bowling into the wind and, after a testing first spell in Pakistan’s first innings, he struggled to contain the batsmen and conceded 98 runs in 23 wicket-less overs. In the second, O’Brien toiled for 16 overs for figures of 52 for 1 before his day got worse.In the final session on the fifth day, an airy but fierce drive from Umar Akmal struck him on his finger during his follow through and dislocated it. O’Brien was in visible pain – Daniel Vettori said he saw his bowler’s eyes well up – but he was ready to bowl after getting the digit straightened by the physio.”There was no way Dan was getting the ball out of my hand at that stage,” O’Brien told . “I wanted to bowl. I wanted to be part of a Test win and to do something to change the game.”Fighting pain, O’Brien ran in and trapped Kamran Akmal lbw – a moment that Vettori said was when New Zealand started to believe they were going to win – before dismissing Umar Gul as well. He finished with figures of 3 for 63 and later said he was under pressure going into the final innings of the match.”If I didn’t come out and bowl yesterday, well that could have been me done for a while, if not for a long time,” O’Brien said. “To go out and bowl well yesterday and play a part in a Test win is pretty good. It makes me feel better about my job and role in the team.” O’Brien will have his finger assessed on Monday.O’Brien, however, was not the only one bowling in discomfort on Saturday. Bond, who was making his Test comeback, had an injured big toe and yet he finished with eight wickets, a performance that won him the Man-of-the-Match award. Bond said his toe was sore but it would be okay.

يؤمن تشافي هيرنانديز مدرب فريق برشلونة الإسباني بقدرة ناديه على تسجيل الوافد الجديد ماركوس ألونسو الذي انضم للبلوجرانا من تشيلسي في اليوم الأخير لسوق الانتقالات.

وقيم تشافي صفقتي ألونسو وهيكتور بيليرين، مشيدًا بالثنائي، ويأمل في الاعتماد على ماركوس بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وجاء حديث تشافي في مؤتمر صحفي خاص بمباراة برشلونة وإشبيلية ضمن مباريات الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

وقال تشافي: “بالنسبة لألونسو، نحن متفائلون بأن كل شيء سيتم حله اليوم، أنا مقتنع بأنه سيكون رسميًا وسيكون بالإمكان أن يشارك في دوري الأبطال”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشافي: أشعر بالأسف على رحيل أوباميانج.. وديباي “القائد” سيساعدنا

وأضاف بشأن صفقتي ألونسو وبيليرين: “أردت تدعيم مركز الظهير، كانت هناك حاجة ماسة إلى دعم مركز الظهير الأيمن وسيساعدنا بيليرين، إنه محترف رائع”. 

وفعّل برشلونة عدة روافع اقتصادية وفتح باب الخروج أمام عدد من لاعبيه إما بيع أو إعارة للحد من الرواتب وموازنة اللعب المالي النظيف، حتى يتمكن من تسجيل صفقاته الجديدة.

واستغرق برشلونة وقتًا حتى تمكن من تسجيل جول كوندي الذي انتقل للفريق الكتالوني من إشبيلية. 

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has dropped a worrying claim on Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips and the possibility of him suffering another setback.

What’s the story?

The England international has already missed three games in the Premier League this season, including being an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Wolves last time out.

Now, Dinnery has raised the possibility of the midfielder suffering an injury recurrence, and claimed it would be “awful news” for the Whites.

He said: “Kalvin Phillips has been in training for a while. Bielsa spoke about how he could have been available in game week eight but he wasn’t comfortable.

“He might not have been at his best with regards to a lack of fitness. Then he also missed out on game week nine when he chose to put him on the bench. Is there a chance of injury recurrence? Yes, as always. Sometimes we don’t even know why. That, of course, would be awful news for Leeds.

“Players may surpass their baseline testing and exceed every metric. However, the moment they step foot on the pitch, they could suffer a setback. Sometimes there’s just no explanation. We know that Bielsa looks to make sure the club is doing everything within its power to minimise that risk.”

Leeds fans will be concerned

Including the three games that he has missed this season, and the nine that he missed last year, the Whites have won just two matches, drawn one and lost the other nine.

That is the kind of record that puts into perspective just how important Phillips is to this side, and given the start the team as a whole have made this season in the Premier League – they currently lie just outside of the relegation places – they really cannot afford to see him go down with yet another niggling injury.

Bielsa will be desperately hoping for some good fortune on the injury front.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this South American star…

Norwich are set to appoint Dean Smith as their new head coach at Carrow Road imminently.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to explore the possible starting eleven that the former Villa boss will set up with in his first fixture when the Canaries host Southampton next Saturday afternoon.

Daniel Farke lost his job at Norwich after the side gained their first three-pointer against Brentford last weekend, with pressure mounting on the German coach after an abysmal start to the season that has left the side sitting at the bottom of the table.

Possibly the most notable and unpopular decision that Farke made when setting up his Norwich side this season, was the snub of two young and promising players that have been destined for greatness in their careers – Todd Cantwell and Billy Gilmour.

Norwich loan player, Gilmour, has been hailed “world-class” by former Rangers boss Mark Warburton whilst Cantwell has been on the radar of top Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool for some time now.

Smith is sure to have his eyes on both promising players to place into his starting eleven, as both possess qualities that emulate those of Smith’s Aston Villa prodigy, Jack Grealish.

This would see the likes of Kieran Dowell and Kenny McLean potentially axed from the side if Smith did decide to go with the two popular youngsters, however, it may be the right move considering the lack of presence and possession Norwich have displayed in their Premier League campaign so far. Heading into the latest international break, they’d enjoyed just 43.3% of the ball in the top-flight.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fancast predicts Smith’s best starting XI could be once he’s settled in at Carrow Road…

With a typical Norwich 4-3-3 formation, we predict that Smith will line up in a similar, if not identical, set up as his 11th place finishing Aston Villa side of last season.

The ex-Villa boss has never really played with ball-playing defenders with his first choice at Villa being Mings and Konsa, which as a result, we predict that he will drop Ozan Kabak out of his team.

Instead, their incoming boss may opt to play a pairing of Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson who offer more experience and defensive qualities than the young Turkish centre back, especially in a regulation dog fight.

The 50-year-old ex-Brentford boss is yet to confirm his acceptance of the new role but is expected to become head coach in a matter of days with a rumoured two and a half year contract on the table.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Smith: NCFC can save their season with 58 y/o who’s been “top marks”…