Aston Villa Transfer Special: Garde eyes England legend, £5m Swiss star wanted, two exits

NEWS NEWS BLOG SPORT look at what could happen at Aston Villa during the January transfer window.

 



Aston Villa have had a woeful season and sit bottom of the Premier League by some distance



 

They only have seven points and one win to their name after 17 matches and face the reality of relegation from the top flight for the first time in 28 years.

Tim Sherwood was sacked in October after an awful run of results and replaced with Frenchman Remi Garde, who has been linked with Premier League jobs in the past.

Villa’s faithful have suffered desperately and they haven’t finished above 15^th since the 2010/11 season.

Their run to the FA Cup final last season was the only success Villa have enjoyed in recent years, with American owner Randy Lerner becoming increasingly distant from Villa Park.

 

What do they need?

Where do you start? They concede too many goals and don’t score enough. You would think with the summer acquisitions of former England defenders Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards, Villa would have tightened up at the back.

Far from it. They’ve conceded 31 goals so far, Brad Guzan hasn’t performed as well in goal, and Villa lack a spine to their team. Their midfield is weak and vulnerable, completely exposing their shaky defence.

The biggest problem, however, is goals. Villa haven’t filled the huge Christian Benteke shaped hole in their attack. 14 goals from 17 games is a poor return. Jack Grealish needs to live up to the promise he showed towards the end of last season under Sherwood. 

 

How much can they spend?

It will be interesting to see how much Randy Lerner backs Garde come January.

Villa spent just over £50million in the summer, with £32.5m recouped from the sale of Benteke to Liverpool, but Lerner might not be so generous with Villa in such a dire position.

The club has to consider Championship football next season and desperately splashing the cash in January might not be an option at Villa Park.

Who might they sign?

Two big names have already been mentioned by Remi Garde as Villa must look to boost their squad wherever they can in January.

The season ending injury to £9m French left-back Jordan Amavi leaves them short in defence and Garde has confirmed interest in the former Arsenal and Chelsea fullback Ashley Cole, who’s been frozen out at Roma in Serie A.

Another name linked with Villa is Switzerland captain and powerhouse midfielder Gokhan Inler, who’s desperate for more first team football ahead of Euro 2016 after finding opportunities limited at high-flying Leicester.

 

Who could leave?

Garde found Villa in a mess when he arrived in November and has been keen to stamp down his authority in Birmingham.

Club captain Gabriel Agbonlahor was reportedly very unhappy at being dropped by the French boss and could seek a move away from Villa Park, with more than Villa 360 appearances to his name.

Charles N’Zogbia has been publically criticised by Garde for his lack of effort in training and matches, which could lead to friction between the two, and the former Newcastle and Wigan might want to end his laboured career at Villa Park in January.

Crystal Ball: Neymar's £180m Man Utd move, Liverpool sign Lewandowski, Chelsea swap deal

NEWS NEWS BLOG SPORT whips out our crystal ball to dream up some sensational moves in the January transfer window.

 

Neymar joins Manchester United, Grizemann heads to Chelsea and Liverpool land Lewandowski

 

January has seen a flurry of big deals in the past, with Luis Suarez joining Liverpool from Ajax in a £22.7million switch in 2011, while Arsenal smashed their club transfer record in 2009 when they landed Andrei Arshavin for £16.9m.

Bringing in a world-class player mid-season presents a number of issues for clubs who are challenging for silverware as well as sides desperate to avoid relegation.

But here at Express Sport, we have gazed into our crystal ball to wish up some stunning January moves.

Chelsea sell Diego Costa and get Antoine Griezmann in return

Antoine Griezmann has been at Atletico Madrid for just over a year, but Chelsea have been tracking him for much of that time.

The Blues have been keeping tabs on Griezmann and have been impressed with the way he's been tearing apart La Liga defences.

The Frenchman was a target for Jose Mourinho, but Chelsea retain their interest despite sacking the Portuguese boss.

Guus Hiddink approves of the 69-year-old and despite staunch resistance from Atletico for much of January, a deal snowball in the final few days of the month.

Chelsea agree to allow Diego Costa return to the Vicente Calderon, having lost his spark at Stamford Bridge. £10m exchanges hands in Atletico's favour as part of the deal.

Griezmann boards a private plane and lands at London Heathrow before being whisked off to a local hospital for a medical. He is then driven to Chelsea's Cobham training complex to complete the formalities of his move, including putting pen to paper on a £200,000-a-week contract.

Blues fans rush to Cobham to catch a glimpse of their star signing, while over in Spain Costa beams a toothy smile after escaping the wrath of Premier League refs by returning to his old club.

club.

Arsenal convince Victor Wanyama to leave Southampton
Arsene Wenger has had a tendency to wait until deadline day to secure January deals.
But with their injury problems laid bare, Wenger doesn't hang about in landing Southampton's Victor Wanyama.
The powerhouse midfielder makes a cryptic remark about his future on Twitter as the Gunners work hard behind the scenes and see a £20m bid accepted in the first week of the window.
Cue Arsenal fanfare as supporters rush to the Emirates to welcome their first arrival of the window.
Wanyama does the customary photo opportunity with the assembled media inside the stadium, and is handed the number 22 shirt.
Wenger then hastily arranges a press conference to unveil his signing.
Wayne Rooney falls out with Louis van Gaal
Wayne Rooney and Louis van Gaal clash during a Manchester United training session after defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day. Rooney questions Van Gaal's tactics before ranting and raving at his manager, while his team-mates try to break the warring pair up.Van Gaal subsequently calls Rooney into his office, but the England striker stands his ground and tells the Dutchman the players are unhappy with his methods and says he is to blame for the club's indifferent form.
Still fuming after his meeting, Rooney blasts Van Gaal on his Facebook page. The post unsurprisingly causes a storm in the media leaving Van Gaal publicly embarrassed.
Van Gaal demands an apology from Rooney, but when it is not forthcoming, Van Gaal fines Rooney a month's wages and forces him to train with his reserves.

Arsenal are admirers of Victor Wanyama

Jurgen Klopp and Robert Lewandowski reunited at Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp talks throughout January about how he loved working alongside Robert Lewandowski during their time together at Borussia Dortmund.
Lewandowski's agent confirms his client's current club Bayern Munich have been in touch with Real Madrid, but reveals Liverpool have a more tempting proposal.
Lewandowski fuels speculation of a move to Anfield by following the club on Twitter.
After plenty of speculation, Klopp picks up the phone and tells Lewandowski why moving to Anfield would be a dream switch for him. A deal is completed in the final few hours of the window and Klopp breathes a huge sigh of relief.
Liverpool smash their transfer record by paying £58million for Lewandowski. The Pole goes straight into Klopp's matchday squad and is partnered up front with Daniel Sturridge.

Merry Alex-mas! Festive round-up of the latest Arsenal rumours

As the majority of us will concentrate on our family’s festivities, some of us will need to tame their craving for the latest speculation surrounding our beloved club.
One story not to be merry about, is the Adrien Rabiot reports. The young Frenchman has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, but is highly rated by his current club PSG, and has made it clear that he is keen to remain on their books. He is however looking to gain first-team action in the new year, but is reported to be set to stay put, and Arsenal would unlikely try to sign him temporarily regardless.
Another player who will not be boosting our title bid from the new year, is another Frenchman, who goes by the name of Mathieu Debuchy. The defender joined us 18 months ago, but has lost his first-team role to Hector Bellerin, due to injury originally, before the emergence of the Spaniard ended the former Newcastle full-back’s hope of becoming a Gunners regular. The 30 year-old will need to secure regular first-team action to cement a place in France’s senior squad for the upcoming European Championships, which looks unlikely in North-London.
Potential additions are what we really want to hear about however, and Danilo Pereira has been linked most recently. The Porto midfielder is now said to have been scouted ahead of a potential move, when the staff were previously said to have been eyeing Ruben Neves.
The Porto duo are impressing in the Primeira Liga, but Pereira is gaining plaudits from fans and journalists alike despite only joining his new club in the previous window. Pereira is available for £29 Milliion due to his contract, but whether Arsene Wenger rates him as highly as that fee is yet to be seen.
We are also claimed to have agreed a fee in excess of £10 Million for Basel’s defensive midfielder Mohamed Elneny. The 24 year-old has earned a key role in the Swiss side in recent years, and would be available to play in the Champions League knock-out rounds should he be purchased.
One player who I would really love to see bolster our squad is Javier Hernandez, and not only to rub it in the faces of the Red Devils. The Mexican has proved himself to be a deadly finisher in front of goal, despite his lack of match-minutes in recent years, and I still believe he deserves to lead a top Champions League side such as ourselves. I have always been a Giroud fan, despite many of you having been reserved about him, and I think Chicharito and the French striker could fight their way to win us out first league title in a decade.
Today is Christmas, so scrap the reports that I have given you above, and simply believe we will sign the perfect additions next month. So who is the one player we should 100% sign in January? Pogba? Bender? Messi? Name one realistic signing and the one perfect addition?
Mesut Cech-Mas to all you fellow Gunners.

Jamie Roberts to link up with Harlequins despite injury in Varsity Match for Cambridge

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Jamie Roberts to join up with new club Harlequins after suffering an injury for Cambridge

JAMIE ROBERTS will link up with his new club Harlequins on Monday as planned despite coming off injured at half-time in yesterday's Varsity Match at Twickenham.

The 29-year-old Lion played down the extent of the injury after the 12-6 defeat for his Cambridge University side which extended their losing run against Oxford to a record six matches.

"It's only a dead leg but it got worse and worse as the first half went on. I couldn't run after half-time so I had to come off," said Roberts, who watched the second half from the bench with an ice pack strapped to his right thigh.

Roberts' opposite number Henry Lamont was taken off with concussion after attempting to tackle the 17st centre in the opening minute.

Above is the content the blog provided. If incomplete, read the original here.

Man Utd star: Louis van Gaal has full backing of players after Champions League exit

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Marouane Fellaini offers support to boss Louis van Gaal

MAROUANE FELLAINI insists Louis van Gaal still has the full backing of the Manchester United players.

Van Gaal's position at Old Trafford has come under scrutiny after Tuesday's 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg meant his side crashed out of the Champions League group stages.
Compounding the embarrassment of leading United in the Europa League is the criticism Van Gaal has faced from his own supporters for a string of uninspiring performances.

The Red Devils were held to their sixth goalless draw of the season by West Ham at the weekend, but Fellaini is confident Van Gaal can turn things around.
"We trust him," the Belgium international told NBC Sports.
"He is the manager, it is his philosophy and we have to continue like that. I am sure the goals will come and the chances as well."

Louis van Gaal saw Manchester United crash out of Champions League on Tuesday

When asked if United can still win the Premier League title, Fellaini added: "Yes, of course.
"At the moment we are in the top four, we are there. It is a tough month but we have to continue like this.
"We know as Manchester United the expectation from us is high. Now we are focused, we know what we are doing. So, we will see but we are there."

'Hypnosis cured my eating disorder' Anorexia sufferer ends six-year battle

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Ellie (not pictured) used hypnotherapy to help her beat anorexia

HYPNOSIS has cured a horrifying eating disorder by unearthing the moment in the sufferer's teens that triggered her six-year battle with the illness.

 

Ellie Phipps' weight plummeted to a mere 5st 13lb and she was warned that she would die from organ failure if she carried on losing weight. 

Because her condition had become so severe, Ellie was putting herself at risk of infertility and bone fractures. Her frail state also meant that she had began losing her hair. 

The teaching assistant had to give up work and couldn’t even get car insurance, just in case she passed out behind the wheel.

As the condition reached its most severe point, Ellie’s mum, in sheer desperation, sent her to a hypnotist specialising in eating disorders. 

Trying to find the root cause of Ellie’s illness, rather than addressing the symptoms, the hypnotist accessed her unconscious memories.

 

When Ellie (not pictured) was 14, a gymnastics class weigh in triggered an eating disorder

After just five sessions with hypnotist Nicky Maidment, who calls herself a "neuro linguistic master practitioner", had discovered the moment that triggered Ellie’s terrifying eating disorder - the time she was weighed in gym class, aged just 14.

Fearing she wouldn’t make the cut for her gymnastics team, because of her weight and appearance, the young teenager was left with a hidden phobia of food. 

Ellie said: "I remembered waiting in a queue at gym class to be weighed.

"Then my friends either side started to panic that they would be overweight.

"I said 'it will be ok,' but inside I started to worry that I'd be the fat one. This stuck with me and I also wanted to be the perfect girl.”

An in-depth analysis of Arsenal’s backup players

A lot has been said about Arsenal’s lack of depth and proper squad players. These are what we call backups. So where do we stand in terms of our backups? Backups can play different roles depending on the team’s philosophy. For example: They can be youngsters being groomed for the future i.e. Barcelona.
Players who alternate with first team players and provide competition i.e. the Manchester clubs.
Players who only play a bit part in the team. They are only included when first team players are missing i.e Real Madrid, PSG, etc.
So who are Arsenal’s backups and what are their roles in the team? Let me analyse them from the defence to the striker….
Ospina is our backup goalkeeper. He was bought from Nice due to his impressive World Cup performances. He came at first as the backup, but due to Szczesny’s howlers against Southampton he displaced him from the team. He put in a very good shift and played pretty well, putting Wociechch on the bench until an array of mistakes started costing the team. People questioned his ability to reach for the ball due to his small stature. To his rescue a much improved defence arose, but the club saw the need to buy a new goalkeeper who is much much better.
Debuchy: He came in from Newcastle as a replacement for Bacary Sagna who left for Man City. He did pretty well in the world cup. He in fact benched Sagna from the France national team. He did well at the beginning. His talent and experience put the team in check until two long term injuries put him out of action for an extended period. He remained a trusted player at the club even at this difficult period ,being tipped to regain his place on his comeback, but the electric form of Bellerin and his impressive performances reduced his role to a bit part player.
Chambers: Came in from Southampton for a hefty fee. During preseason he was our best player earning himself applause from the Emirates faithful. He got on with his strong performances into the new season earning himself an England call up. His great form earned him comparisons to the legendary Tony Adams. But his inexperience did him no good.
Poor decision making reduced him to play a bit part role on the bench. Now deputising for Merts, Gabriel and Koss as last choice backup.
Gabriel: Came from Villarreal for a sizeable fee. His inability to speak English put him on the bench for a while, but on his debut against Middlesbrough he put in a strong performance rating himself highly among the supporters, he started a number of games later on and continued to impress, though Wenger does not seem to trust him much, putting Koscienly and Mertesacker ahead of him.
Kieran Gibbs: A player coming from our very own Arsenal academy. Given his debut as a youngster, he was very decent on the pitch. He became our first choice in some previous years, but after Monreal was given his place on the left after a period of time the Spaniard was nothing short of sublime and made the position his own, with Gibbs deputising him.
Flamini: Returned to arsenal after his stint spell at AC Milan. He is a versatile player capable of filling centre back, full back and midfield positions. On his first season after returning he proved an important member of the club, helping the team lift the FA cup. But due to his old age he became injury prone and inconsistent. So a young and more energetic solution was sorted and it paid off. Coquelin has been a starter since then, and Flamini his deputy, though Flamini has had his moments with a tale to tell. The brace against Tottenham being the best of it.
Campbell: Came in as a youngster at Arsenal. Has been sent on loan on a number of occasions due to his ineligibility to play because of passport issues. He was to gain important experience. So the loan spell at Olympiakos proved his best. Scoring 8 goals in the league and a Champion’s league goal against Manchester United. He then came back to Arsenal after a strong World Cup campaign and everyone expected him to find a place in the team, but Wenger had other ideas in mind. He has had to wait all this time for his opportunity to arise so let’s hope he takes it like others have done.
The Ox: Once described to be our most promising youngster as he gained comparisons to Walcott. He was very impressive for England scoring that goal against Brazil. He started almost every game in the first part of last season and everyone was praising him. After another injury he made a good name for himself, including the thunderous goal against Monaco and that assist against Manchester United. But he dug his own grave with his costly mistakes, making wenger use Ramsey ahead of him on the wing despite it not being his natural position.
Olivier Giroud: Well he causes a split of opinion among Arsenal fans, just like Wenger does. Some say he is a very viable centre forward while others see him a very bad player and have been demanding a more mobile centre-forward. Well he still has an impressive return of goals and assistsand has also been capped many times by France providing cover and as an alternative to Benzema. Now the manager doesn’t seem to trust him anymore putting the speedster Walcott ahead of him in the pecking order – for whatever reason Le Prof might have. But Walcott’s injury record compared to his puts Giroud at an advantage over the season.
Well it seems pretty harsh for the manager to bench some of these players so let’s hope they can push the first teamers to perform even better
Briantole