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Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash should be available for selection against Arsenal after sustaining a minor injury at the weekend, Ashley Preece says. 

The lowdown

Cash started against Wolves on Saturday and played 79 minutes before he was substituted, with Ashley Young coming on in his place.

Manager Dean Smith revealed after the game that he’d been forced off with a dead leg.

Cash is a mainstay of the Villa side, with his Wolves injury threatening to disrupt a 100% Premier League starting record.

Going by WhoScored metrics, the 24-year-old has been his side’s third best player so far this season.  Nobody in the squad has made more tackles per 90 minutes.

Cash, incidentally, ranks in Villa’s top-six earners with a reported weekly salary of £65,000.

The latest

Addressing supporters in a Birmingham Live fan Q&A, Preece wrote: “[I] expect Matty Cash to shake off a dead leg for Arsenal on Friday.”

Meanwhile, an update on the fitness of winger Leon Bailey is expected in Dean Smith’s press conference on Thursday.

The verdict

This will surely come as a relief to Villa supporters. Young would have been able to deputise, but it’s clear that Cash is one of Smith’s most trusted lieutenants.

And they need to muster a response on Friday night against a 12th-placed Arsenal side, having conceded three times in 15 minutes in a dramatic late collapse after Cash’s withdrawal on Saturday.

If Bailey is available for selection too, they’ll probably fancy their chances.

In other news, this Villa starlet is being monitored. 

According to journalist Gabriel Sans (via Managing Barca), Tottenham Hotspur are very interested in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, having made an offer to the Catalan club.

The Lowdown: Depay’s Barcelona tenure

Upon the expiry of his contract with Lyon, the 28-year-old signed a two-year deal with La Liga giants Barcelona last summer. Since his arrival at Camp Nou, the Dutchman has netted an impressive 10 goals in 20 league appearances.

Whilst this suggests a strong start to life in Spain, Depay has suffered from multiple injuries this season, as a hamstring issue and Achilles problems saw him sidelined for 13 games. This has consequently raised general concerns over his fitness and availability.

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The Latest: Tottenham linked with Depay

As reported by Spanish journalist Sans (via Managing Barca), Spurs are very much interested in signing Depay in the summer. To that effect, they have already made an offer to Barcelona for the player.

Due to his injury issues and the club’s financial problems, it has been reported that the Catalan outfit are open to offloading the Netherlands international when the transfer window reopens at the end of the current campaign.

The Verdict: Would be a great signing

Spurs manager Antonio Conte could do with the addition of a forward alternative who can play in a different system to Harry Kane, who is the club’s only out-and-out senior striker.

Depay certainly has that killer instinct in front of goal – at Lyon he scored 76 goals in 178 games, while for the Dutch national side he has amassed a stunning 39 goals in 76 caps.

Hailed by former La Liga striker and Dutch compatriot Roy Makaay as a “quality” player, the Barcelona ace has even received plaudits from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who would agree with Ronald Koeman’s assertion that the 28-year-old is “a joy to watch”.

Given such glowing praise and a fantastic goal record, along with being in the peak of his career at 28, Depay would no doubt be a brilliant signing for Paratici and Conte if they can pull it off.

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim

Everton have hardly had a barnstorming summer but their hopes of bringing a few players on deadline day to Goodison Park appear doubtful.

Rafa Benitez hasn’t had a great deal of money to spend, but even with shrewd deals lined up ahead of the final day of the window, everything could end frustratingly.

What’s the word?

Everton have a few moves they’re looking to complete before the window slams shut at 11pm.

Salomon Rondon could arrive from China while Porto’s Luis Diaz is another option. It was thought that the Argentine winger would move to Goodison Park with James Rodriguez heading in the opposite way.

However, that deal has now hit a major snag, according to The Times’ Paul Joyce.

He revealed that a move has hit a stumbling block and it’s one which reportedly hinges around Rodriguez. Reports claim that the Colombian could now be heading for Italy, which would put Diaz’s move to England in severe doubt.

Now or never

This was a deal which looked perfect. Everton were getting rid of a player who didn’t want to play for the club anymore and in return, they were getting an exciting and flashy South American forward.

Rodriguez’s time at the Toffees has ended in bizarre fashion, with the Colombian leaving supporters perplexed a few weeks ago when he admitted he didn’t even know who their next opponents were.

However, he’s set to leave a further bitter taste in their mouths if he chooses to head to Italy instead of Portugal.

If Everton do want to secure the services of Diaz, then it really does feel like now or never for Marcel Brands. After all, it’s been made abundantly clear this summer that Everton don’t actually have a great deal of money to spend.

Thus, if Rodriguez doesn’t go to Porto, then a move will have to be completely forgotten about.

According to Transfermarkt, Diaz is valued at £22.5m. In years gone by, Everton wouldn’t baulk at a price like that, but considering that they struggled to sign Denzel Dumfries, it doesn’t bode well at all for a bigger financial outlay.

He only cost Inter Milan €12.5m (£10.7m) but that was too much for Benitez and co.

Everton have started the Premier League season in fine fettle but they look set to end their transfer window poorly.

Aston Villa look set to be without John McGinn for tonight’s Carabao Cup clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

What’s the story?

The Scotland international was involved in an early collision with Michael Keane during the victory over Everton in the Premier League at the weekend, and despite receiving treatment, had to go off later in the first-half.

Speaking after the game, the Villa boss himself said: “He got a whack on the head after five minutes. He felt he was OK to continue. Around about the 26th minute mark, he got another whack on the head I think it was. There was a break in play and he came to alert us to it. Our doctor kept an eye on him but he called it then and went, ‘No, I’m too dizzy’ and went down. Our doctor was on it.”

And now, as confirmed by The Daily Mail, “McGinn will not play at Stamford Bridge under the FA’s ‘return to play’ guidelines that demand a six-day absence for a head injury.”

Dean Smith will be gutted

A mainstay of Smith’s side in the Premier League, the 26-year-old enjoyed a fine campaign last season, with Sky Sports and Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards raving about his influence.

He said: “This season he’s been absolutely incredible, back to the John McGinn I know. A lot of shine goes off of him because of Grealish because Grealish does the little bits that make people stand up on their chairs, but in terms of hard work, putting in tackles, goals and assists, John McGinn is a top, top player. Villa have been a successful side largely down to him as well and his work-rate in there.”

In fact, in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League just a couple of weeks ago, McGinn was arguably one of Villa’s more impressive performers, with The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece giving him an eight in his post-match player ratings and saying: “Very, very lively. In fact, McGinn was everywhere and forced Chelsea into a string of errors as he pressed and pressed and pressed in that opening 45 minutes.

“The Scot loves playing at Stamford Bridge after three back-to-back impressive displays here in west London. McGinn faded a little in the second half but always looked to rally the troops. He’s had a fine start to the season. Booked and was incredibly irate at the end as he flew into Jorginho late on. McGinn was fantastic.”

The fact he’ll now be missing from tonight’s game against the Blues again is sure to have Smith gutted.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith must start this Villa “warrior” vs Chelsea…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester United supporters have erupted over a pre-Liverpool blow involving star midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already under pressure after watching his side drop a plethora of Premier League points over this last month.

The Norwegian has overseen losses to both Aston Villa and Leicester City whilst also dropping points in a home draw to Everton, coming as United aim to win their first Premier League title in nearly 10 years (manutd.com).

Ahead of a highly anticipated clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford today, many Red Devils fans have fumed as some team news emerges before they take on Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Indeed, as confirmed by Solskjaer, star man Fernandes is now a doubt for one of the biggest clashes of their season.

The Portuguese playmaker has four goals and two assists in just eight Premier League starts this season, marking himself out as a really key player.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder United supporters are worried he might not feature today.

Find all of their verdicts on the news down below.

Man United fans erupt over Fernandes blow…

“advantage liverpool”

Credit: @Ansh710839

“We are finished”

Credit: @martemmanuel_14

“Great.”

Credit: @Xire01

“OH GOD….we all know it will be Lingard at the 10 on Sunday!”

Credit: @OilDoug

“no bruno omg”

Credit: @rashy10_

“NOT BRUNO”

Credit: @MAX_DBN

“As if it couldn’t get any worse”

Credit: @Unit01773131

In other news: ‘Worse than Fred’, ‘Just sell’…Man United fans hammer ‘very weak’ player who ‘needs shipping out’, find out more here.

Having seen his Sunderland side get off to an impressive start to their 2021/22 League One campaign, winning their first two fixtures of the new season, Lee Johnson and his team were dealt a setback on Tuesday, with the Black Cats suffering defeat at the hands of Burton Albion.

However, the result was far from a disaster, with Sunderland’s performance still impressive despite the defeat – something which Johnson himself commented upon after the 1-0 loss, claiming that his side “had fantastic control” of the fixture, as well as stating his belief that if the match were to be played 100 times over, the Black Cats would win on 85 occasions.

Indeed, over the course of the 90 minutes at the Pirelli Stadium, the Wearsiders managed 20 shots on goal, seven of which were on target, as well as dominating possession of the ball and creating two big chances.

However, while it is easy to argue that Sunderland were the better of the two teams on the night, it cannot be ignored that the Mackems nevertheless failed to capitalise on their dominance, with a lack of quality in and around the box proving to be their downfall.

As such, it would appear wise for Johnson to freshen up his attacking lineup for the visit of AFC Wimbledon today, with one player in particular who has so far been overlooked in the league and could well be deserving of a shot in the starting XI – Josh Hawkes.

Indeed, following a highly impressive 2020/21 campaign with Sunderland’s under-23 side, scoring 13 goals and providing six assists over his 20 Premier League 2 appearances, the 22-year-old winger was given a chance in the Black Cats’ first team for the Carabao Cup clash with Port Vale last week – getting himself on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win.

However, despite having been an unused substitute in the club’s first two league fixtures of the season, Johnson then dropped Hawkes completely from his matchday squad for the Burton game, a rather strange move considering his impressive performance the previous week.

Also, considering the goalscoring and creative talent that Hawkes quite clearly possesses, the Sunderland boss simply must give the man he himself dubbed a “dangerous” player a shot against AFC Wimbledon, as the youngster could well solve the Black Cats’ troubles in front of goal.

In other news: SAFC in “advanced talks” over “fantastic” £180k-rated dynamo, Johnson will be buzzing

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lille forward Yusuf Yazici…

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish outlet Takvim, the Magpies are already in talks with his representatives over a potential January move, with the attacker said to be valued at €15m (£12.5m).

The report claims that Lille want to loan him out during the second half of the campaign and Newcastle are one of the clubs actively pursuing a deal.

Dream deal

Yazici could be a dream signing for Newcastle next month due to the structure of the move. The Magpies are currently 19th in the Premier League and at risk of relegation to the Championship, which means that permanent signings could be tricky to complete without worrying about how much they could cost the club in the second tier.

However, a loan deal works perfectly for them as it allows Newcastle to cut ties with the player if they fail to avoid the drop. It also means that they can potentially negotiate an option to sign him permanently in the summer if they retain their top-flight status, whether that is for the £12.5m quoted or another price.

For example, if Yazici comes in and scores the goals to keep the club in the Premier League, then they could snap him up permanently; or, if he struggles to adapt to English football and Eddie Howe’s team finish in the bottom three, then he can be sent straight back to France.

Former Lille coach Christophe Galtier once lauded the forward and his connection with Jonathan David, saying: “Yusuf has caught a good dynamic, and he is finding his direction. There is a lot of competition in his position, which drives him to perform well. It takes a lot of effort. I spend too much time with him. He is a very talented player in front of the castle. He plays like the second striker or the number 10.

“If you have such a talented player, the possibilities increase. He has a strong relationship with Jonathan David. They were also together in the Milan match. They were also good defensively in this game and made good placements. I find the two complementary. Such a relationship between the two players is a good thing for the coach.”

This highlights the quality he could bring to Newcastle and suggests that he could strike a chord with Callum Wilson up front. Yazici could look to form a partnership with the former Bournemouth man to complement him at the top end of the pitch, making him an ideal signing to bolster the attack.

He managed 14 goals and five assists in 18 starts for Lille across Ligue 1 and the Europa League last season, showing that he has the quality to provide regular contributions in the final third. This is another reason why it could be a dream deal for Newcastle if they pull it off, as the 24-year-old has proven that he can find the back of the net regularly at the top level.

AND in other news, PIF could save NUFC’s season with £20m move for “decisive” gem likened to N’Golo Kante…

According to reports out of Spain, as shared by Sport Witness, there has been an update on Southampton’s pursuit of Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Lowdown: Semmens eyeing summer moves…

Ahead of what could be an interesting 2022 summer window, the Saints, and by extension their transfer chief Martin Semmens, have been tipped to bolster Ralph Hasenhuttl’s options.

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It is believed the south coast side are still in contention to sign England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with links also emerging to some lesser known names like South Korea international Son Jun-ho.

The striker position is another area Southampton could strengthen as news comes to light involving Bundesliga forward Awoniyi.

The Latest: Report makes Awoniyi claim…

As per Spanish sources (via Sport Witness), Semmens and the club have ‘set their sights’ on the striker who could cost around £21 million.

The report also claims Southampton, alongside West Ham and Newcastle, will ‘bid for Awoniyi’ with a summer attempt to sign him on the cards.

The Verdict: Great option…

Members of the media, like journalist Stefan Bienkowski, have praised the Nigeria international for his ‘remarkable’ season in the Bundesliga with the in-form attacker coming as a good option for Hasenhuttl.

Union Berlin have previously heaped praise on their ‘hero’ who has played a major role for them this season, having scored 12 goals in 25 appearances in the German top flight this season.

He comes as a solid alternative to loanee Chelsea striker Armando Broja this summer as Semmens reportedly casts one eye on the 2022/2023 season now his club are clear of relegation for another year.

In other news: ‘It is true’ – Southampton backed by close source as they also eye ‘star’ international, find out more here.

David Moyes has plenty of decisions to make as his West Ham side kickstart a busy festive period with the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion to the London Stadium this evening.

The Irons have lost back-to-back Premier League matches but have maintained their place in the top-four, for the time being, having been defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers and defending champions Manchester City in the last two weeks.

It’s their third game in the space of a week and they’ll continue to come thick and fast, with Chelsea at the weekend, Dinamo Zagreb a week Thursday and another four games before Christmas day.

Therefore, the Scot must be considering rotation, especially as he has been dealing with injuries to one key area of the squad but what sort of lineup could we see in east London tonight?

Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be four changes from the side that tasted defeat at the Etihad only a few days ago.

In goal, veteran shot-stopper Lukasz Fabianski is expected to maintain his place, with PSG loanee Alphonse Areola only utilised in the cup competitions, though his backline will look a little different.

Aaron Cresswell is a major doubt ahead of kick-off and it’s unlikely that he will be risked, given how many matches are upcoming. Instead, we could see Ben Johnson switch sides and Vladimir Coufal returning at right-back.

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The £18m-rated Czech international, dubbed a “machine” by skipper Mark Noble, has been usurped by the aforementioned academy gem ever since his injury, so this would be a good opportunity to stake a big claim.

Whilst, Craig Dawson may be rested in favour of Issa Diop, who partners fellow compatriot Kurt Zouma in the middle.

Moyes has a massive decision to make on Tomas Soucek amid his poor and inconsistent form struggles. He may well keep his place for now, alongside vice-captain Declan Rice.

Further up the pitch, we’re expecting to see Jarrod Bowen return to the starting XI, with Pablo Fornals occupying the other flank, whilst Said Benrahma could be axed for Manuel Lanzini after the Argentine’s goalscoring impact up in Manchester.

Michail Antonio has also struggled lately, scoring once in eight games, but as their only centre-forward – one that can flick the switch at any time – he should remain up top.

AND in other news, West Ham eye bargain £12m swoop after injury blow…

Celtic are hoping to have a number of deals tied up prior to the opening of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, Ange Postecoglou revealed that he and his side are currently in the process of identifying a number of targets they would like to bring into the club during the winter market, as the 56-year-old does not want to repeat his rather frantic transfer business in the summer window.

Speaking about the Bhoys’ transfer plans, Postecoglou said: “We want to make sure we are well organised long before then, so we are going to identify targets and we will be talking to quite a few.

“There will be plenty of people putting their name forward because I think this is an attractive destination at the moment. There will be plenty of names. We are working towards them and we know what we need. We are just focused on being organised in January.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how successful a number of Postecoglou’s summer signings have already proven to be at Celtic, the prospect of the 56-year-old bringing yet more of his targets to the club this winter, as well as having much more time to compile his transfer shortlist, is sure to have Hoops fans buzzing.

Indeed, with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota, Carl Starfelt, Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Josip Juranovic – all of whom arrived in Glasgow this summer – ranking as the Bhoys’ third, fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth and 11th-best performers respectively in the Premiership so far this season – of players who remain in Postecoglou’s first-team squad – it is clear that the 56-year-old possesses a very keen eye for a signing who could come in and improve his team immediately.

And, with Celtic hot on the heels of the league leaders, should the Greek-Australian coach manage to bring in reinforcements that have a similar impact to his summer signings this January, we would certainly not bet against the Hoops going on to reclaim their Scottish Premiership crown come next May.

You sense all the Bhoys need now is a few additions to really complete their squad and elevate them to the next level.

In other news: Outrageous stat proves £1.8m-rated “menace” is closing in on 242-goal Celtic legend