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Aston Villa will be hoping that they can correct their most recent outing in the Premier League and return to winning ways as they get this weekend kicked off with a lunchtime clash against Arsenal.

Dean Smith’s side will welcome the inconsistent Arsenal to Villa Park this afternoon as both sides look to bank a crucial three points in their respective season. The Lions are coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to West Ham on home soil whilst Mikel Arteta’s men were recently beaten by Wolves.

Smith isn’t usually known for straying away from his usual lineup and team selections. However, times are becoming urgent as nine outfield players have played more than 1,000 minutes this season, with Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez playing all 20 Premier League so far, according to Birmingham Live.

With several players in need of a rest and plenty vying for their chance off the bench, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Villa to lineup this afternoon…

Although rotation can be key in the Premier League, there’s very little chance that Smith will change up any of his defensive personnel. The Villa backline is unchanged in their last six Premier League games. Even with an injury scare on Matt Targett against Manchester City, the left-back was back in action the following match against Newcastle in their 2-0 victory.

However, the manager’s more creative options will be up for debate. Players like Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet are looking to get their chance to cement themselves in the Villa squad as one of Smith’s regular choices. Last time out, Anwar El Ghazi was disappointing on the right wing and was hauled off the pitch after half-time.

According to Sofascore, the Dutchman managed to complete just seven accurate passes in the first half and lost possession 11 times. This is far from the creative masterclass the boss will have wanted from his winger and could be tempted to bring Trezeguet back into the squad.

The Egyptian hasn’t started for Villa since the reverse West Ham fixture back in November. He then spent eight games on the sidelines due to a head injury and has been limited to cameo appearances since his return, according to Transfermarkt.

Another player who could be put back into the spotlight is £78,000 per week Traore. The wide-man has five goalscoring contributions in his last ten appearances for the Lions and will be paramount for breaking sown Arsenal’s backline this afternoon as Villa kick off this weekend’s action.

That could see Jack Grealish move into the number ten role, with Ross Barkley dropped to the bench. Ollie Watkins will of course lead the line as he has always done, despite not missing a single minute of Premier League football this season.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn: Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

In other news, Aston Villa may rue not signing Josh King on transfer deadline day…

This January has already proven to be a testing time for Leeds United.

They are yet to win, yet to score and have conceded seven goals in three outings. On top of that, they were dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of League Two Crawley Town.

Evidently, this has not been a good start to the year, but fortunately, Victor Orta could turn the tide with a few additions late in the window.

Given there are just a matter of days before the market closes, it feels unlikely that Leeds will be too active.

After all, Marcelo Bielsa likes working with a small squad and after the ordeals with Dan James and Jean-Kevin Augustin, United prefer incomings in the summer.

Though, what if Leeds did sign a few of their reported targets? Well, there are three players on their radar that could join and if they arrive at Elland Road, here’s how the Whites’ starting XI may look.

The first thing you’ll notice is that Patrick Bamford is still leading the line. Leeds have been linked with Montpellier’s Andy Delort but the Englishman is the club’s undisputed number 9.

Behind him though is one change. Despite being a favourite of Bielsa and missing just one league game under the Argentine, Mateusz Klich drops out. That’s because Erick Pulgar could walk through the door before the deadline closes.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

FFC have already spoken about how he could be a perfect Klich successor and the latest on the Fiorentina midfielder’s situation is that Leeds could sign him on loan.

We’re tipping two changes to be made defensively. French left-back Jordan Amavi – once of Aston Villa – was touted with a switch over the weekend.

If he does sign, it wouldn’t be a great surprise to see him usurp Gjanni Alioski pretty quickly. That’s because he’s far better statistically and also has Premier League experience to boot.

The final change is at centre-back, a problem position for Leeds this season. Over the festive period they had Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente all out. Therefore, we reckon defensive target Loic Bade could come straight in at the heart of the defence.

The youngster is currently at Lens but is an eye-catching centre-back, one capable of replacing the qualities Pontus Jansson left behind.

AND in other news, Orta masterclass: Leeds could end a 4-year problem with swoop for £25k-p/w beast…

For Wolves, signing any player this January for an expensive fee seems far-fetched.
After spending so much last summer, it would appear the coffers are empty, but that won’t stop the rumour mill from circulating at Molineux.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, Wolves have made an enquiry to sign colossal Celtic defender Jack Hendry this month.
The centre-back is currently on loan in Belgium at Oostende where he’s caught the eye significantly at the heart of their backline.
Celtic have made it known that they don’t see a future for the 25-year-old in Glasgow and thus, could be open to shipping him on at the nearest opportunity.
It’s thought that a number of teams are interested in Hendry, from Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth to Bundesliga sides Freiburg and Werder Bremen.
No fee is mentioned but Celtic signed him for a price of just £1.5m from Dundee.

The next Boly

One thing instantly stands out when you look at Hendry – his almighty height of 6 foot 4. Instantly that’s comparable to their current stalwart in defence; Willy Boly.
The Frenchman stands at 6 foot 5 and is a colossal presence in defence, especially when it comes to winning aerial duels.
The 29-year-old has won 3.2 per game in the Premier League this season, a tally that Hendry comes close to replicating in the Belgian top-flight, winning three per match.
That being said, both players are also graceful on the ball, a talent that’s not easy to achieve when you’re so tall. Hendry and Boly can both play out from the back with relative ease, completing a high portion of their passes. The former has amassed a success rate of 86.5% this term, while Boly completes 81.5%.
Although it hasn’t worked out for Hendry at Celtic, he possesses an enormous amount of quality and if he comes to Molineux, he could help a number of the younger players out. That’s because his leadership stands tall above everything else.
Speaking about Hendry last year, his manager at Oostende Alexander Blessin said: “He’s a great talker in defence. He makes the people he’s playing with better. You can see them listening to him. He’s been a tower of experience for us.”
Blessin continued: “Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.”
Although Boly isn’t the quickest, the rest of Hendry’s qualities have huge similarities to the Wolves defender. He’d be an astute acquisition this month.

AND in other news, “Could be a good fit” – EXCLUSIVE: Pundit says Wolves should consider swoop for 24-cap warrior…

Carlo Ancelotti is having to deal with a string of injuries ahead of Everton’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night.

The Italian has confirmed he will be without top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin with the striker failing to overcome the hamstring injury which prevented his involvement in Saturday’s FA Cup tie, but is due to welcome back a clutch of those who also failed to feature against Rotherham United.

Everton will be chasing their first win at Molineux since 2011 in their midweek trip to the West Midlands, where a victory will move the Goodison Park natives back inside the top-four of the Premier League table after a four-game win streak was brought to an end by West Ham United on New Year’s Day.

Ancelotti rang the changes in the FA Cup from the side which lost on David Moyes’ latest venture back to Merseyside, but failed to see some of those who started shine. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential XI the Blues could name at Wolves on Tuesday…

Robin Olsen was given the nod to start in goal at home to Rotherham at the weekend with Jordan Pickford sidelined, but is likely to lose out to the England international with Ancelotti confirming the 26-year-old is available to feature at Molineux.

Lucas Digne made his return from ankle ligament surgery on Saturday and showed flashes of his talent throughout his time on the field, so will expect to retain his starting role against Wolves alongside Seamus Coleman, Ben Godfrey, Alex Iwobi and James Rodriguez.

Michael Keane endured a challenging afternoon against Championship strugglers Rotherham, and the £65,000-per-week centre-back will be a point of focus for Ancelotti with Yerry Mina performing well in recent weeks and initially being rested in the FA Cup.

Tom Davies and Andre Gomes both struggled to hold down the engine room on Saturday with the academy graduate far too casual in possession and the Portuguese sloppy with the ball and out of sync defensively.

Davies has been Ancelotti’s favourite partner for Abdoulaye Doucoure while without Allan through a hamstring injury, which the Italian believes the midfielder will overcome in the next two weeks, so should carry more credit over Gomes ahead of facing Wolves.

Calvert-Lewin’s absence in attack will be an issue for Everton at Molineux, where Cenk Tosun is likely to start after scoring his first goal of the season with a solid performance in place of the injured England international against Rotherham.

Richarlison also failed to feature on Saturday yet faces a late fitness test to start against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, suggesting the Brazilian is likely to be risked to add a direct threat to the Toffees’ attack barring any negative developments.

AND in other news: “Absolutely” – Exclusive: Pundit can see £31.5m-rated “Ancelotti type of player” joining Everton….

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed Lewis Dunk’s controversial goal during his side’s draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

In the fixture itself, Brighton dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead against the Hammers thanks to Neal Maupay’s scrambled finish just before the break.

However, after David Moyes withdrew Mark Noble and Jarrod Bowen for Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko at the interval, West Ham appeared much more energised in the second half and went on to equalise via Ben Johnson’s 60th-minute strike.

Brighton then thought they had won the fixture with Dunk’s 70th-minute goal, but Tomas Soucek headed powerfully home 12 minutes later to share the spoils at the London Stadium, with the game finishing 2-2.

However, there was a significant amount of controversy surrounding Dunk’s finish, as it appeared as if the ball stuck the Brighton defender on the arm before he slotted past Lukasz Fabianski.

“As football fans, we’d have all agreed that it would have been very harsh to disallow that goal,” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “However, the new law, ‘Law 12 – Handling the Ball’ says that if an attacking player benefits from an accidental handball and it falls for them and they put it into the back of the net, then the goal should be disallowed.”

He continued: “Now, I think you can clearly say [the ball] hit Dunk in the midriff and then hit him underneath the arm. So, under the new law, it should have been disallowed for accidental handball because it did look like it brushed the underneath his arm.”

Following the game, Moyes called for clarity on the handball rule, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “It definitely hits his arm. Unless you tell me the rules have changed, I think anything hitting the arm and leading to a goal should be chopped off.”

It would appear that the 57-year-old was correct in stating that the goal, which was reviewed by the VAR official, should have been chalked off, as Halsey claims that, under the current rules, even an accidental handball which leads to a goal should not be allowed to stand, and instead, a free-kick should be given to the opposing team.

As such, it would appear that Moyes is right to feel aggrieved with the decision made by the VAR official on Sunday, and perhaps he should have seen his side leave the game with all three points.

Having made just five first-team appearances for Aston Villa, Callum Robinson struggled to translate his success at academy level into the senior side.

The versatile forward was a shining light for the club’s U23s, playing 42 times and scoring 19 goals and providing a further seven assists too.

But despite that, he didn’t get much of a look-in at Villa Park, instead spending most of his time on loan at Preston North End and Bristol City.

And it was with Preston that he really made his mark, impressing enough to earn a permanent move to the club in the summer of 2016 – reports have suggested that they paid just £170k to prise him away from Villa.

After bagging a total of 41 goals at Deepdale, Robinson joined Sheffield United, before heading on loan to Villa’s fierce local rivals West Brom in January (he sealed a permanent move there in the summer).

The Hawthorns has seen his develop into a first-team star at Premier League level under Slaven Bilic’s management, featuring in every single top-flight game this season.

His stand-out performance no doubt was his brace in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Chelsea.

Given Villa are seeing the fruits of their labour in giving young academy talents a genuine chance in the first-team in Jack Grealish, it’s no doubt a huge disappointment that they let Robinson slip through the net.

It’s even more galling that he’s doing the business for the enemy too.

Roberto Di Matteo may have not lasted long at the club, but ultimately, he was in charge when Robinson completed his permanent switch to Preston.

And now Villa are paying for his mistake.

It is no secret that Leeds United were very keen on signing Serie A midfielder Rodrigo De Paul in the summer. The move never came to fruition but the club still maintains an interest in the player. The latest update regarding his future, however, suggests that a move might never happen.

The latest update on Rodrigo De Paul

Speaking to Tutti Convocati on Radio24 via Football Italia, the Technical Director of Udinese, Pierpaolo Marino, said: “We are not selling De Paul in January. You don’t sell important players like him in January.

“We have a great relationship with him and have no problems keeping him here with us. I said for two years, he would have stayed but nobody believed me.”

This is a big blow for Leeds

The 26-year-old looked to have shown that he wanted to move to Leeds in the summer following some of his social media activity.

De Paul, who is valued at £27 million, scored seven goals and picked up six assists in 33 appearances (WhoScored) last season. He was a great attacking threat as he managed, on average, 2.5 shots, 2.3 key passes and 1.8 successful dribbles a game. De Paul also showed that he could help the team out defensively as he managed 1.8 tackles a game.

Argentina football legend Riquelme praised the player massively as he said: “I like a lot but first is the personality of De Paul and Lautaro (Martinez). Argentina needs those types of players that can play under any conditions or circumstances when they haven’t played 50 games for the national team… playing with the Argentina national team just like your club, it’s complicated. They’ve done that.”

It could be a big blow for Leeds to hear that Udinese are saying they will not sell him in January. He could have brought a lot of quality to the Leeds midfield and added a bit of class that could be needed to make sure the club push for a mid-table finish.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has discussed why Premier League survival is more important than ever. Have a read why here!

Sunderland’s capture of former Plymouth Argyle defender Callum McFadzean finally came good when handed his Black Cats debut in defeat to Mansfield Town during Saturday’s FA Cup First Round tie.

McFadzean moved to the Stadium of Light at the end of the transfer market to answer manager Phil Parkinson’s search for depth, having been released by the Pilgrims earlier this summer after 30 appearances during a one-year spell at Home Park.

Parkinson had opted against awarding the 26-year-old his chance to impress in the North East during his first weeks as a Sunderland player, despite hinting the wide defender who can also play at centre-half could feature in October’s defeat to rivals Portsmouth.

McFadzean finally saw game time in red and white this Saturday when the Black Cats visited Mansfield hoping to kick off their FA Cup campaign with a win. But while Sunderland lost, he was the clear silver lining.

Sunderland bowed out of the FA Cup after a poor second-half display from too many of Parkinson’s men, with chances to score few and far between from a side featuring the likes of Will Grigg and Danny Graham – two players with a combined 192 career goals.

Mansfield defended well to thwart the Black Cats in most, and eventually broke the deadlock through George Lapslie in the 49th-minute to begin Nigel Clough’s reign with the League Two Stags’ first win in any competition this term.

McFadzean presented a consistent threat during an impressive debut as he strived to help find a way back into the tie, with his series of excellent deliveries worthy of more than seeing Graham smash the crossbar from a few yards out.

The former Bury wing-back also forced Stags shot-stopper Marek Stech into action late in the first half, and impressed Parkinson during his time on the field.

“He’s only been with us a couple of weeks but with Denver [Hume] and Goochy [Lynden Gooch] being out, we decided to play him,” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo.

“I had to protect him by bringing him off towards the end, because we don’t want him getting injured going forward. But he showed what he’s all about, and put in three or four top-class deliveries.

“He’s different to Denver in the way he gets into those areas, but he can be equally effective. I think he’ll be a good signing for us.”

Parkinson will no doubt be hopeful of seeing similar performances from McFadzean down the stretch, and may consider fielding the 26-year-old enforcer again when Sunderland visit Fleetwood Town in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson has confirmed a major blow for a Sunderland gem he begged to “let his football do the talking”.

Glasgow Rangers are trying to stop Celtic from winning a tenth title in a row this season and they are on course to do so as Steven Gerrard’s side are still unbeaten in the league so far.

But Rangers haven’t balanced the books which could come back to haunt them later on.

If you cast your mind back to the start of the summer, Steven Gerrard’s side made some solid deals in the transfer window – signing Bongani Zungu from Amiens on a season-long loan could be considered quite the coup by the club in several months’ time whilst Calvin Bassey, Cedric Itten, Ianis Hagi, Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun have settled down to life at the Ibrox outfit.

However, Ross Wilson has spent a combined total of £10.35m via Transfermarkt, without any sizeable outgoings of any note, which has since turned out to be an unforgivable mistake.

Gerrard has excluded Jermain Defoe from the Europa League squad which has allowed him to create some space for Bongani Zungu and Kemar Roofe. The 38-year-old has had a solid start to the season, having scored one goal and supplied one assist in three games in all competitions so far, but has fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Cedric Itten.

The £1.26m-rated ace has had his sights set on signing another new deal but the Gers shouldn’t even entertain that idea. While there were some rumours that Morelos may have been sold if a reasonable offer had arrived in the summer, the fact that he is still at the Ibrox and that the club have brought in two new strikers may leave some wondering why they even gave him a new deal in the first place. In fact, his European snub has raised further questions about his future at the club.

Let’s face it, Gerrard is hardly short of options up front. But Defoe is one of the best paid players at the club, so having him sat on the bench for some of the biggest games in the season would seem rather silly – if not ridiculously expensive. Therefore, the Gers may well find themselves caught in a conundrum of their own making.

The former 57-cap England international is arguably entering the twilight of his career. It would have made most sense to sell him before the start of the season but the board decided to give him a permanent contract. Whether or not Wilson will sell him in the winter transfer window remains to be seen. Get him gone, Gers.

AND in other news, Rangers must make bargain swoop for ex-Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge…

West Bromwich Albion’s decision to sell Chris Wood in 2013 has turned out to be an absolutely woeful piece of business and over seven years on, it could be coming back to haunt them.

The Baggies are back in the big time and are seemingly playing without a recognised no.9 – Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore are edging closer to the exit door and their pursuit of Huddersfield Town talisman Karlan Grant continues to stumble over finances.

If only they gave a chance to Wood, who proved himself in no fewer than six loan spells away from the Hawthorns. Instead, ex-Albion boss Steve Clarke decided to cash in on him for a pathetic £1m as Leicester made his final temporary switch into a permanent one.

Where is Wood now?

The 28-year-old has gone on to become one of the most underrated forwards in the Premier League as he now plies his trade under Sean Dyche at Burnley.

In each of his last three Premier League campaigns, Wood has netted at least ten goals with his best coming last year having bagged 14 times in 32 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

He’s even played and scored in the Europa League all whilst Albion languished in the Championship.

His best spell to date, though, came at Leeds United where he started to make a name for himself as a prolific goalscorer – in his first campaign, he delivered 13 goals before he found the net a whopping 27 times in 44 matches in 2016/17.

That form earned him a £15m move to Turf Moor where he has been ever since, and that’s a fee that CIES Football Observatory still values him at.

Wood has been that thriving that much in the top-flight that this summer he was tipped as a surprise candidate to join Spurs before they eventually decided on Carlos Vinicius.

The New Zealand powerhouse has certainly been the one that got away in the west Midlands and in time of desperate need, perhaps the Baggies shouldn’t have given up so soon.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Hal Robson-Kanu talks West Brom and tumeric…