All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds United have never been known to splash the cash on transfer deadline day.

Rather, the Whites are more known for taking a reserved approach to the drama, and that didn’t change this time around, as zero last-minute captures were secured, while Sunderland welcomed in another three new faces to their ever-growing camp in the Premier League.

It could well leave Leeds light on their feet as tense fixtures near the bottom of the division pile up, with just one goal scored from their opening three league matches adding another worry regarding their lack of business in the forward department late on.

However, the West Yorkshire outfit did fork out £18m to land Noah Okafor before the grumbles of deadline day took over, with a hope he can add some much-needed firepower when up to speed.

What Okafor can offer to Leeds

Leeds had been somewhat busy in the market before the letdown of deadline day, with the number of new summer incomings standing at a hefty ten.

A flurry of business saw Daniel Farke try to bolster his side’s weak attacking personnel, having publicly bemoaned the lack of quality in the forward positions in pre-season, with Okafor a statement buy in this regard.

Indeed, the Swiss international has a healthy career haul of 100 goal contributions plying his trade for the likes of RB Salzburg and AC Milan, with scout Jacek Kulig even dubbing the promising 25-year-old as “electric” when lighting up the Austrian Bundesliga.

Capable of operating on the left flank and as a centre-forward option, the expectation will be that he can become Leeds’ next Wilfried Gnonto in time.

With the addition of another face down the left who hasn’t come cheap – with the new Leeds number 19 also pocketing a high £72.5k-per-week salary – this could well finally signal the end of one underperformer at Elland Road…

Jack Harrison must finally be finished at Leeds

Farke and Co. did get rid of some deadwood this summer that was burning a hole in the wage costs, with Patrick Bamford now no longer on Leeds’ books, having earned the same lavish £70k-per-week salary as Okafor for some time.

He was routinely the highest earner in West Yorkshire, despite noticeable dips in form, with that unwanted mantle now being passed onto an equally hit-and-miss Jack Harrison.

Once upon a time at Leeds, Harrison was seen as a shining star in attack, with a bumper 16-goal contributions under his belt during the 2020/21 season in the top-flight, when the Whites were still being steered by the iconic Marcelo Bielsa.

However, in the here and now, he isn’t seen as the same bright spark he once was, having deserted Leeds during their depressing return to the Championship, where he then jumped ship to Everton and consistently failed to deliver.

Games played

65

Goals scored

4

Assists

4

Wage per week

£90k-per-week

Wage cost over a season

£4.6m

From his last 65 games in the challenging division, Harrison has only managed to muster up an underwhelming eight goal contributions, with Leeds now handed back the burden of the high earner, who is without a goal or assist from his two Whites cameos this season.

Staggeringly, despite his sour relationship with the Premier League new boys, he is their highest earner currently – as per Capology – at an eye-watering £90k-per-week.

This is the case even as he has previously been branded “non-existent” by journalist Beren Cross when donning Leeds white, on top of being further labelled as “disappointing” back in 2023 by ex-striker turned pundit Chris Waddle when his Elland Road form started to wobble.

With Okafor in through the door now, it will be intriguing to see how long Farke is willing to persist with his below-par number 20.

For Leeds’ long-term sake, he should be axed sooner rather than later – having also given up possession 25 times to Championship opposition Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup recently – as fresh blood is instead prioritised in their bid to beat the drop.

Leeds launched late bid to sign "standout" star who was desperate to move

Daniel Farke wanted an attacking option.

ByTom Cunningham Sep 2, 2025

Managing director believes similarities with Test cricket could mean ODI leadership would make sense

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Mar-2025Ben Stokes could be one of the candidates to replace Jos Buttler as England’s limited-overs captain, with Rob Key stating it would be “stupid” not to consider the Test skipper as an option to rejuvenate a struggling white-ball set-up.The move, one of many Key is considering as men’s managing director following Buttler’s resignation after a dire Champions Trophy campaign, would see Stokes become ODI captain. In that scenario, the T20I job would likely go to current vice-captain Harry Brook.Stokes has not played ODI cricket since the 2023 World Cup, a tournament that required him to U-turn on his decision to retire from 50-over cricket, during his first summer as Test captain in 2022. He had kept his options open for a potential return for the Champions Trophy, before that decision was taken out of his hands after a second hamstring tear in six months sustained during third Test against New Zealand at the end of last year.Stokes is currently stepping up his recovery in Abu Dhabi with an England Lions training group and is expected to be fully fit to start the summer with Durham. Key was also out in the UAE, and sees no reason why the 33-year-old cannot do as he has done with the Test side and re-energise an ODI team who have lost their way.”I think nothing’s off the table really,” Key said. “You look at every single option and you think, right, what is the best thing to do? How is that going to impact on other things?”Ben Stokes is one of the best captains I’ve ever seen. So it would be stupid not to look at him. It’s just the knock-on effect of what that means.”He’s an unbelievably good tactician, which we’ve seen in Test cricket, but he’s a leader of men. He’s someone who gets the best out of people. He’s someone that, when the pressure is really on, he’s able to throw a blanket around the players and actually say, ‘no, no, this is the way forward. Keep going with it’.”They’re the qualities that you need in leadership. Ben’s, as we know, an outstanding player, an outstanding leader. It’s more about, what would that then mean to him? What would that then mean to his workload?”We don’t want to risk other things as well. But there’s always a way in England, I think, where you start looking at, ‘what if it goes wrong?’ You’ve also got to think, ‘what if it goes right?’. They’re the decisions that I have to make.”Related

Ben Stokes open to white-ball comeback as McCullum begins new England era

Ben Stokes ruled out for three months with recurrence of hamstring tear

Decline and fall: England face up to scale of ODI rebuilding job

Jos Buttler quits as England's white-ball captain after Champions Trophy exit

Buttler goes down with the ship as England journey comes full circle

That Stokes has a strong pre-existing relationship with Brendon McCullum, now in charge of England across all-formats, lends extra credence to this plan. McCullum has overseen 10 defeats out of 11 since taking over the white-ball set-up at the start of the year – a stark contrast to his work overturning their red-ball fortunes in cahoots with Stokes. England have won 22 out of their 35 Tests since the pair were brought together by Key at the start of the 2022 season.There is no doubt McCullum would be open to having Stokes on board. He stated last week that he would be open to a different captain for each of the three international formats because of their contrasting strategies. Key, however, sees a synergy between Tests and ODIs that would allow Stokes to succeed with the latter.”When you start looking at it, I believe that Test cricket and 50-over cricket are probably closer than T20s, which is the outlier now. So then that makes different things.”We look at India and the way they play T20 cricket, and they’ve got all these young players coming through, but it’s their Test players that are making the difference in 50-over cricket.”The issue, as Stokes has previously outlined himself, is the schedule. This year sees England face India and Australia in legacy-defining Test series as far as Stokes’ captaincy and the Bazball project are concerned. Should the ODI job be assumed, three-match series against West Indies (May into June), South Africa, Ireland (both in September) and New Zealand (ahead of the Ashes) will be shoe-horned into his itinerary.Brook will have a similar issue, albeit one he already has to contend with as a multi-format batter. Key has no reservations about Brook assuming a leadership role given how he captained against Australia at the end of last summer in Buttler’s absence. And with Stokes on hand to guide him – as well as halve his limited-overs captaincy duties – Key sees no reason why the Yorkshire batter cannot step up another level.”I think Harry Brook would be an outstanding captain actually. I was cautious about Ben Stokes doing it and having too much, and look how that’s gone.”I think he (Stokes) might bring out the best in Harry Brook. Being able to go out there and feel like the extra responsibility sometimes ,for people, is the best thing that can happen for them. Sometimes it’s not. They’re the decisions you have to work out.”

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor revealed an outrageous question she has been forced to answer that other clubs would "never ask" a man. Despite steering the Blues to a historic domestic treble last season, the Frenchwoman says people still question whether she can balance being a mother of four with leading one of the biggest clubs in women's football.

Survey paints grim picture for women in football

A damning new Women in Football report has exposed the scale of discrimination across the sport. The findings, released on Wednesday, showed that 78% of women working in football have faced discrimination, while nearly two-thirds admitted to experiencing sexist ‘banter’ or degrading jokes in the workplace. Perhaps even more alarming, 56% of those who reported gender-based discrimination said no action was ever taken.

AdvertisementBombastor hit out at sexist double standards

For Bompastor, none of it comes as a shock. "Guess what was almost the first question everyone is asking me when I want to become a head coach or a manager?" the 45-year-old said. "So I'm going to tell you – 'do you think it's possible to be a mum of four kids and being a manager for a high club?' I think if you have a man in front of the same people, they will never ask that question."

Getty Images SportChelsea have been different

Bompastor was quick to stress that Chelsea themselves have not been guilty of such attitudes. "It wasn't the case in Chelsea," she added with a laugh.

Still, the fact she continues to be asked whether she can juggle motherhood and management highlights how far football has to go. "We still have room for improvement in that area, and I'm glad the people are honest and they are brave enough to raise that," she said.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Arsenal boss agrees that fight is far from over

Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers also weighed in, agreeing that football has taken steps forward but warning against complacency.

"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done," Slegers said. "I think we need to stay critical, although there's been a lot of progress in that sense. It's not always in the big things; it can be in the small things as well. It's good to be aware of it."

Tottenham are among a number of teams chasing highly-rated Brazilian teenager Rayan Vitor. The 19-year-old has excelled for Vasco da Gama this season, scoring seven times to boost his reputation. However, Spurs wouldn't be the only Premier League side to show an interest in Rayan, who is also reportedly wanted by rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.

AFPRayan has shined in the Brasileirao

After making his senior debut in 2023, Rayan has cemented his spot in the Vasco da Gama starting XI and his performances in Brazil have not gone unnoticed. Indeed, in 2022 La Liga giants Barcelona were credited with an interest in the teenage forward.

And while Vasco are enduring a sub-par season, Rayan is proving a shining light for the Brazilian giants having scored seven goals and laid on an additional assist in the 2025 Brasileirao season.

AdvertisementLeague form has caught the eye of Premier League giants

Premier League sides are also keeping tabs on Rayan, with Tottenham among those to be monitoring the rising star. The north London side have been reportedly tracking his performances in recent months and checked on him recently when he scored in the 2-0 win over Cruzeiro last week.

Rayan, who is capped at U17 level, is tipped to receive his first senior call up to the Brazil national team before long, where he'd be expected to play alongside Spurs striker Richarlison. That being said, Spurs aren't the only Premier League team interested in Rayan.

Getty Images SportCompetition rife for Rayan

Spurs are looking into striker options as they seek to reinforce a frontline that has misfired in recent weeks. Richarlison is the club's top scorer in the league this season with three goals to his name, two of which came in the opening weekend win over Burnley.

However, Spurs would face ample competition for his services for Vasco entertain the idea of selling their prized asset. Chelsea, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Spanish giants Barcelona and Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg are also believed to be interested in Rayan.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Low release clause appeals to suitors

In addition to Rayan's performances for his club, the 19-year-old is believed to have a £34m ($46m) release clause, which appeals to potential suitors, who feel confident they can negotiate that fee down.

Vasco, though, will have seen how much Palmeiras sold Estevao to Chelsea for in 2024 and expect a similar fee should they be forced into selling Rayan.

The club's manager, Fernando Diniz, has already claimed the teenager is a superstar-in-waiting, telling Brazilian media: “A very rare player. At the age of 17, he has that maturity. He's going to help Vasco a lot. He's a special boy."

He added: “(Rayan) is an extremely different player, one of the few Brazilian football forwards who is complete. It's high, fast, left-handed, kicks well, went on to enter the area and make head goal, it picks up well, closes well. You can play high-end, fake 9, 9, at the other end.

Strong showing on opening day of campaign puts new-look Warwickshire attack on back foot

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-Apr-2025Sussex 386 for 5 (Clark 140, Simpson 116*, Coles 51) vs Warwickshire Centuries by Tom Clark and John Simpson ensured that Sussex returned to the Rothesay County Championship Division One with a strong day’s work against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.Clark struck an accomplished 140 (279 balls) and Simpson an assertive unbeaten 116 (142) in a partnership of 200 in 44 overs as Sussex recovered from 40 for three to close on 386 for five.Three early wickets for debutant Ethan Bamber appeared to vindicate Warwickshire’s decision to bowl first, but thereafter it was a struggle for an attack missing injured first-choice opening bowlers Olly Hannon-Dalby and Chris Rushworth.Clark and Simpson took full advantage to post their fourth and 16th first-class centuries respectively.Warwickshire, their squad in deep transition, started the season with four debutants – Bamber, Vishwa Fernando, Tazeem Ali and Kai Smith – and two of the newcomers opened the bowling to very different effect. Fernando went for three fours in his first over of a fruitless spell but Bamber unfurled an excellent opening burst of 7-5-8-3. The former Middlesex all-rounder trapped Tom Haines lbw, playing across the line, then removed Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop with successive balls. Hughes copped an arguable lbw decision before Alsop edged an outswinger to Rob Yates at second slip.The brittle foundation of 40 for three was diligently shored up by a stand of 121 in 37 overs between Clark and James Coles (51, 102). The latter played fluently to be first to his half-century but then rather gave it away when he skied an ill-judged leg-side swipe at Tazeem to give the 18-year-old leg-spinner his first championship wicket.Any hopes the sizeable home crowd harboured of another Sussex clatter proved ill-founded. Instead, Simpson joined Clark to make it back-to-back century stands.Sussex skipper Simpson enjoyed a superb first season at Hove last year, averaging 74.81 with the bat in the championship, and resumed in the same vein as he breezed to a 58-ball half-century. Clark, meanwhile, concentrated implacably and reached his fourth first class century, from 223 balls, with his 15th four, cut off a short delivery from Dan Mousley.On a pitch offering little assistance for the bowlers, the limitations of Warwickshire’s injury-hit attack became clear as the fifth-wicket pair’s partnership passed 150. The depleted nature of that attack does raise a question mark over Warwickshire’s decision to bowl first, though that decision might have a bit to do with the recent history of Edgbaston pitches to flatten out as the match goes on, making wickets even harder to acquire.Clark perished six overs before the close when he edged Ed Barnard behind but in the next over Simpson followed him to three figures, becoming the first Sussex player ever to reach a first class century with a three to backward point on a Friday in Birmingham. Sussex’s return to Division One has been highly encouraging.

Chelsea have now submitted an offer for an “exceptional” Tottenham Hotspur player, who is keen to remain in the Premier League.

Caicedo impresses despite Brentford slip-up

If the Blues have serious ambitions of mounting a Premier League title charge this season, they need to be able to close out games against teams like Brentford, which is why it will be disappointing they were unable to pick up all three points on Saturday.

Fabio Carvalho’s late goal meant Enzo Maresca’s side had to settle for a draw on the road, and missed the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table at this early stage of the campaign.

While Maresca will no doubt be disappointed by the result, the Italian is likely to be happy with Moises Caicedo’s performance, with the Ecuadorian bagging the goal that put the west Londoners 2-1 up late in the second half, and impressing from a defensive point of view.

Statistic

Number completed

Tackles

4

Interceptions

4

Duels won

7

Accurate passes

62/64 (97%)

As such, there are doubts over whether Chelsea need to bring in another defensive midfielder, but according to a report from Africa Foot, they have now made an offer for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Bissouma has recently suffered a knee injury, which means he will have to wait until January to leave the Blues’ bitter rivals, amid widespread interest in his signature, with Newcastle United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace also lodging proposals.

Tottenham are open to sanctioning a departure, given that the Malian midfielder is well-known to have fallen out with Thomas Frank, which means a January departure could be on the cards, although they would prefer to sell him to a foreign club.

The 29-year-old, on the other hand, has made it clear that he wants to remain in the Premier League, rather than joining the likes of Chicago Fire, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe or Lyon.

"Exceptional" Bissouma would be strange signing for Chelsea

In truth, it would be strange for the Blues to launch a formal move for the Tottenham midfielder, not least because Maresca is already well-stocked in the engine room, with the likes of Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos at the manager’s disposal.

Moreover, there are also issues surrounding the Mali international’s discipline, with Frank leaving him out for the Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain and saying: “Bissouma isn’t here because of disciplinary reasons. He has been late several times, the latest one too many.”

Chelsea now ready to launch £85m+ move to sign "rare" superstar in 2026

He’d be the perfect Simons alternative…

ByTom Cunningham Sep 14, 2025

That’s not to say the Spurs ace isn’t a talented player on his day, with Gary Lineker once describing him as “exceptional” after putting in an impressive performance against Everton.

However, there is little point in Chelsea potentially shelling out £14m on a player who would be likely to receive little game time, given Caicedo and Fernandez’s emergence as key players, with both starting all four Premier League games up to this point.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is set to be handed a massive boost, with Lisandro Martinez poised to return from an ACL injury he sustained eight months ago in February. The Argentina international is now targeting a return before the end of October, as he looks to add to the mere 16 appearances he has made under Amorim's management thus far at Old Trafford.

Martinez battling back

The centre-back has been out since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Crystal Palace in February. Amazingly, he has only played 16 times under Amorim since the Portuguese's appointment at Old Trafford, and underwent surgery after the clash with Oliver Glasner's men. United have been cautious in monitoring his recovery but the Daily Mail now reports that he couldreturn before the end of the month. United's next three league games come against Liverpool, Brighton, and Nottingham Forest on October 19, October 25 and November 1; he is said to be targeting the latter two fixtures as a potential comeback. 

After his surgery, Martinz issued a positive update, saying: "Today, after going through several stormy days where I allowed myself to feel and accept my sadness, helplessness, insecurities, fears, and a deep emotional imbalance, I am reconnecting with my essence and my values, which help me see things from a kinder and more positive perspective.

"I feel immense gratitude for the incredible work and support of Man United, Argentina federation, my family, friends, teammates, and everyone who took the time to send me a message of encouragement. The surgery went perfectly! Now it's time to give it my all, with heart and soul, in the rehabilitation process."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmorim handed much-needed boost

United have endured a disappointing start to the season and sit 10th in the Premier League table, having won three, lost three, and drawn one of their opening seven fixtures. Amorim has come under severe pressure as a result of their poor results, but part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has insisted that the Portuguese needs at least three years to prove his worth as a head coach, batting away suggestions that he is going to sack the former Sporting CP boss. Nevertheless, the prospect of one of their loudest voices in the dressing room and argubaly best defender returning is only going to boost his chances of helping United climb the table. Martinez has endured an injury-hit spell in Manchester and has missed a total of 90 games for the club and Argentina since 2022. 

Now, he will be desperate to prove himself, especially as his country have confirmed their qualification for the 2026 World Cup at the end of the season; Argentina won the South American qualifying group and will aim to retain the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022. 

Amorim's admission

Amorim has previously spoken of his desire to see Martinez return to United's first-team, insisting that the defender is "missed a lot", not least because the ex-Ajax star has the potential to thrive in the 3-4-2-1 system the coach is stubbornly holding onto.

He said in September, when asked about his potential comeback: "It's really important. When you have that injury, you have that time where you recover a lot of things really hard, then there is the boring part where it looks like you don't go to the next step.

"We miss a lot Licha, especially in this moment, we miss his aggression in everything he does, we miss him. But he's always there in every meeting. In training, he sometimes finishes his and stays to watch the training. We need Licha in this team."

Martinez has remained an integral part of Amorim's squad, travelling to and from games, and even flew to the United States to be a part of the travelling group for their pre-season tour. 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyMartinez needs to stay fit

Martinez should be back to full fitness by the end of the month but he looks set to miss United's next encounter, a clash with Liverpool at Anfield. The Reds have lost three games on the bounce and will be out to return to the top of the Premier League table with a victory over their bitter rivals, while United look to jump up from 10th in the table.

Soon enough, Amorim will be able to name Martinez in his starting XI, and the player himself will be desperate to stay fit, as his Old Trafford spell to date has been defined by injuries. 

Trent Boult was the wrecker-in-chief early on, taking the wickets of Abhishek and Head

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-202514:39

What explains SRH’s poor showing this season?

Last week, Mumbai Indians (MI) had straightjacketed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) batters on an atypically slow surface at the Wankhede Stadium. On Wednesday, they did the same in the reverse fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, sending SRH in and keeping them to 143 for 8. Getting to that total was a bit of an achievement for SRH after they had slumped to 35 for 5, with Heinrich Klaasen hauling them to something like respectability with a superb 71 off 44 balls.The most telling performances of the innings came from MI’s new-ball bowlers, however, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar picking up two early wickets each as SRH slumped to the lowest powerplay score of the season, 24 for 4. SRH were in danger of collapsing to a double-digit total when they lost their fifth wicket in their ninth over, but Klaasen and Impact Player Abhinav Manohar ensured that didn’t happen, putting on 99 for the sixth wicket in 63 balls.Klaasen played a number of sensational shots – none better than a reverse-scooped six off Jasprit Bumrah in the 19th over – but thanks to the circumstances SRH were in, his innings was necessarily one of restraint, as a control percentage of 86 suggested. The risks he took were measured ones, off marginal errors in line and length from MI’s bowlers. That he still finished with a 160-plus strike rate was a testament to his quality, with Manohar’s 43 off 37 balls and the scores of SRH’s other batters putting his innings in context.Interviewed during the innings break, Manohar suggested the pitch had been on the slow side, with the ball holding in the surface particularly early on. Despite that, he felt SRH’s score was not nearly enough.The early exchanges set the tone, with both Chahar and Boult swinging the new ball while also benefitting from the grippiness of the surface. Conditions still weren’t as tricky as SRH’s top-order slump made them look, though; both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were caught while going hard at the ball, slicing shots they were early on, while Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped a drive to mid-on.The biggest moment of SRH’s powerplay collapse, however, was the wicket of Ishan Kishan, who was out to a leg-side strangle for the second time this season. He began walking even though no MI player made a genuine appeal, and Ultra Edge proceeded to rub more salt in SRH’s wounds, showing no spike as ball passed bat.There was one more unusual dismissal later in SRH’s innings, during a double-wicket final over from Boult, who finished with 4 for 26. He sneaked a yorker past Manohar and hit the stumps, but the batter, sitting deep in his crease, had already disturbed his wicket while trying to bring his bat down to keep the ball out.

Troy Deeney has slammed Aston Villa’s “ego” problem and called out one of Unai Emery’s key players after their dry spell of form continued last weekend.

Villa winless after opening five games

Very few fans would’ve predicted Villa to be in the Premier League relegation zone after their first five games, but they’re currently occupying 18th place, after drawing three and losing two, scoring just one goal in the process.

Most recently, the Villans came up short at the Stadium of Light, drawing 1-1, despite Sunderland being reduced to ten men in the first half, with Wilson Isidor cancelling out Matty Cash’s opening goal.

The problems have continued to mount at Villa Park, with it subsequently being confirmed that sporting director Monchi is set to leave, in what could be another major blow for Emery, amid widespread speculation surrounding the manager’s future.

As mentioned, one of Villa’s main issues up to this stage has been the failure to score goals, with Ollie Watkins yet to find the back of the net, and Deeney has now singled the striker out for criticism.

The former Birmingham City man said: “The biggest problem is lack of goals, lack of goals from Ollie at this moment in time.

“At this moment in time, you’re the only striker there, you’re the one they’re looking towards and for the start of the season, you’re not delivering.

The talkSPORT pundit also went on to add: “At the moment in time, he just looks off it, he looks comfortable.”

Aston Villa heading for Benteke repeat over "top talent" & it's not Watkins

Aston Villa face echoes of the past as one of Unai Emery’s crop hints at an exit

ByWill Miller Sep 22, 2025

Not only is Deeney unimpressed with Watkins’ start to the campaign, but he is also concerned there may be an “ego” problem at Villa, saying: “It’s a weird one. I thought maybe with [Jadon] Sancho and [Harvey] Elliott coming in, there’d be a bit more dynamism to it. But they must not be fit enough as he’s not putting them anywhere near the starting line-up. It’s an ego thing now, a player-driven ego thing.”

“I think the manager is a very, very good manager, but you have to start looking now and saying: Why are the players trying to play inside the pitch? Why is Morgan Rogers not the focal point?”

Watkins needs to start firing after poor start

No one can deny the Villa striker has been a fantastic servant, having picked up 87 goals and 42 assists in 229 matches, but he must start firing sooner rather than later, having once again put in a poor performance against Sunderland.

The England international missed one big chance and touched the ball just 16 times throughout the match, finishing with a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3.

In fairness, the onus isn’t just on the former Brentford man to start improving, with fellow key player Morgan Rogers also failing to register a single goal or an assist this term, while Shay Given has called Emery out for labelling his players “lazy”.

It is a risky tactic for Emery to publicly criticise his players, but he will be hoping for a response from his side when their Europa League campaign gets underway against Bologna on Thursday.

Despite securing their first league win of the season last time out, Glasgow Rangers are still reportedly set to look at one particular candidate to replace Russell Martin.

Martin responds to Rangers fan backlash

Even after Max Aarons netted a last-gasp winner against Livingston, the travelling Rangers fans chanted against Martin. In their eyes, one win changes nothing. There’s still plenty of work for the Southampton manager to do before he gets his own supporters back onside. Whether he’ll earn the results or the time to do that is the big question.

After a disastrous start, the Gers have picked up two wins in their last three games and have the chance to secure back-to-back victories against SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League this Thursday.

The focus will then move straight back to the Scottish Premiership, when Rangers will play host to a struggling Falkirk in what is another must-win game.

For now, despite what the fans think, Martin believes he still has the faith of the players, having told reporters following Sunday’s win: “All I can say to that is… Hibs, and today in the first half is the best we’ve been. So it suggests to me that the players are desperate to do it and improve.”

Rangers star was "like the best of Zidane", now he's worse than Barron

This Rangers star who was once compared to Zinedine Zidane is now even worse than Connor Barron.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 30, 2025

That may not stop the 49ers from considering all their options, however. So far, their first managerial appointment in Scotland hasn’t exactly gone to plan and the likes of Kevin Thelwell are already reportedly set to look at one candidate who could arrive to replace Martin.

Rangers to "look at" Steven Gerrard

As the pressure persists on Martin, the 49ers and Rangers are set to “look at” Steven Gerrard, according to former scout Mick Brown. The former Liverpool midfielder endured an impressive spell as Gers boss from 2018 to 2021 and could now make an incredible return to replace Martin.

Brown told Football Insider: “Gerrard is always going to be one Rangers look at. He knows the club well, knows a lot of the staff and people around the place, and he was very well-liked by the fans when he was there as well, I’m sure the fans would love it if he came back.

“He did a good job during his time there, obviously won them the league and then got a move elsewhere which didn’t quite work out.

“I think he’s exactly the type of manager they need, because he’s somebody who the fans and the players can get behind and somebody who is going to push them forward.”

Gerrard is, of course, the last manager to win the Scottish Premiership at Rangers and dethrone Celtic, so a return wouldn’t be a bad idea for the 49ers. As for the 45-year-old, himself, he could certainly do with some managerial redemption after failed spells at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.