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In his first January transfer window as Aston Villa manager, Steven Gerrard has seen three new faces come through the door at Villa Park as the Midlands club look to strengthen their squad and push up the Premier League table as high as they can go under their new boss.

One of the new players that made the move to Villa this month was Gerrard’s former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho, who played in 81 games with the Villa boss before making the move to Barcelona, who the Brazilian is now on loan from.

Despite only making two appearances for Villa, Coutinho has had a fairly mixed start to his second spell in the Premier League, firstly with a goal on his debut from the substitutes bench in their 2-2 draw against Manchester United, which then followed with a lacklustre performance in their recent 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

While it’s still early days in his spell with the Midlands club, Gerrard still has enough time left in the January transfer window to bring in a player that would certainly raise the roof of Villa Park.

Having been mentioned with an audacious transfer swoop for Real Madrid and former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard in recent weeks with Villa “looking” at the player, bringing the Belgian back to England for another spell in the Premier League, in a similar way they did with Coutinho, would surely be a massive boost to Gerrard’s squad, ensuring they end their January transfer window with a flourish.

Madrid reportedly accepted a €40m (£33m) proposal from Newcastle for the winger’s services, only for the player to reject them. That has now left the door open for Gerrard to swoop in.

With a total of 245 appearances in the Premier League under his belt including 85 goals, 61 assists, two Premier League titles and one FA Cup, the 31-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £381k-per-week according to Salary Sport, could bring a serious amount of experience and winning mentality with him to Villa Park.

Labelled as an “exceptional” player during his time with Chelsea by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Hazard could be tempted with a move to Villa considering he’s only started seven La Liga games so far this season.

Either way, if Villa do think that adding the former Chelsea star to their already strengthened squad this month would be worthwhile, they should definitely make an approach to him and his club to see if the winger would relish another spell in the Premier League under Gerrard’s guidance.

In other news: Lange can replicate Digne masterclass as AVFC plot move for “phenomenal” £10m dynamo – opinion

Reported Sunderland target Roy Keane dropped a two-word reaction to being asked a question about how this upcoming week is going to look for him…

What’s the talk?

Sunderland Echo journalist James Copley has relayed what he saw from the live TV coverage of The FA Cup on ITV (06/02/22), with the Irishman reacting to a question amid speculation that he could be on his way to the club.

He Tweeted: “Roy Keane asked on ITV if he’s going to have a busy week. “No comment.” Accompanied by another big smile…”

Fans will love it

Fans will surely love this reaction from Keane for several reasons. Firstly, it builds further excitement as his smiling could well hint that talks are progressing behind the scenes, with the ex-Manchester United midfielder refusing to deny any speculation linking him with the job.

They will also love his buoyant reaction as it suggests that he is also excited by the prospect of taking over at the Stadium of Light. This is all speculative, of course, but it would have been easy for him to keep a straight face and play coy or outright deny the talk if he was not interested in the role. After all, this is someone renowned for speaking his mind in a boisterous fashion.

Fans will be buzzing with this situation and are now likely to be highly intrigued over whether or not he’ll arrive in the northeast again. That said, it remains to be seen whether or not the move will officially happen anytime soon, despite talk of an interview on Saturday.

The Black Cats are fourth in the League One table and two points behind Wigan in second, but the Latics have a whopping four games in hand on them. This shows the size of the task at hand for the club to finish in the automatic promotion places, which is why bringing in a new head coach as quickly as possible is imperative for Kristjaan Speakman.

They sacked Lee Johnson after the 6-0 defeat to Bolton and failed to get a replacement in before the clash with Doncaster, which may have played a part in the eventual 2-1 defeat to the team sitting bottom of the table.

Therefore, Keane’s interesting reaction will get Sunderland fans buoyant that something may be on the horizon for him at the Stadium of Light. The sooner they get someone in the better chance they may have of putting a plan in place to attack the second half of the campaign to fight for a top-two spot.

AND in other news, “At the moment..” – Big Sunderland manager update emerges that’ll leave fans fuming…

Mitchell Johnson is confident he will be fit for the Test series against Pakistan in July despite an elbow infection that has ruled him out of the opening part of Australia’s tour

Cricinfo staff10-Jun-2010Mitchell Johnson is confident he will be fit for the Test series against Pakistan in July despite an elbow infection that has ruled him out of the opening part of Australia’s tour. The Australians fly out on Friday to begin their trip with six ODIs against England and Ireland, and Johnson has been replaced in the squad by Josh Hazlewood.Australia are already without the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for the one-dayers and he is no certainty for the two Tests against Pakistan at Lord’s and Headingley. However, Johnson is hopeful of being available to spearhead the attack.”It’s a bit of an elbow infection that flared up again after the West Indies,” Johnson told the Sydney radio station 2UE. “It’s not something that really I’m enjoying at the moment, to miss out on a tour for the Australian team, but hopefully I can get it right here and then be back over there for the Twenty20s and Test matches.”I hope [it’s not long-term]. I’ve seen some specialists yesterday or the day before and got their opinions. Hopefully they’ve given me the right stuff to heal it up. Fingers crossed and hopefully I’ll be back out there soon.”Johnson’s absence has opened the door for the 19-year-old New South Wales fast man Hazlewood, who was supposed to be representing Australia A this month. His plans have been upgraded and he will jet off to Ireland with the senior squad under Ricky Ponting.”It’s all pretty exciting, it’s all happening pretty quickly,” Hazlewood told AAP. “I’m just hoping to learn a lot from the fast bowlers over there and maybe get a little time with the ball.”Should Hazlewood make his ODI debut during the series, he will be Australia’s youngest ever one-day international debutant. In November 2008 he became the youngest fast bowler to play for New South Wales, and stepping on to the international stage would provide a thrill for the residents of Bendemeer, the country town from which he hails.”It’s a pretty quiet little town of about 300 people just out of Tamworth,” Hazlewood said. “They’ll be over the moon I reckon. There’s been a few good stars from Tamworth but none from Bendemeer.”

An update has emerged regarding Rangers and their plans to further strengthen Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to Algerian outlet DZ Foot, ES Setif midfielder Ahmed Kendouci is a target for the Gers in the January transfer window.

The report claims that he could be available to sign this month if a strong enough offer is submitted for him, with the Scottish champions now considering a bid.

Bye-bye Hagi

Rangers forward Ianis Hagi has been touted with a move away from the club this month, and his prospective exit could open the door for another player to arrive in his position. This is where Kendouci comes in, as he could be Van Bronckhorst’s new creative maestro in the final third.

The Romanian has started 14 Premiership matches and created 1.6 chances per game this season, with three goals and four assists across all competitions. This highlights the creativity he brings to the table, which was shown in full force last term as he ended the campaign with 11 assists in the league.

In Kendouci, Rangers could find their replacement for the Romania international. The £1.2m-rated gem has 17 goals and 14 assists in 79 career games, showing that he is routinely able to make an impact in the final third.

Last season, he produced 10 goals and 10 assists in 34 league matches for Setif. This suggests that he could come in at Ibrox and excite the fans with his ability to find the back of the net, whilst also setting up team-mates with chances to score. He could seamlessly take over the reins from Hagi if the latter moves to Galatasaray before the end of the transfer window.

Of course, there is no guaranteeing that the 22-year-old would be able to translate his form from Algeria over to Scotland, as it is impossible to gauge the difference in quality between the respective leagues. However, if he arrives at Ibrox this month and can produce similar levels in terms of goals and assists, he could turn out to be a terrific signing.

Losing Hagi would be a blow for Van Bronckhorst due to the creative spark he can provide, but signing Kendouci could soften the blow as he is a player with a similar style in the attacking midfield area. Both players have shown that they can regularly set up goals, and the Algerian could be doing just that in a blue shirt in the second half of the campaign if the Gers bring him in.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst could finally axe Rangers liability by signing this “aggressive” 6 ft 3 beast…

Crystal Palace are having a quiet transfer window so far, with their team currently intact for the challenges of the second half of the season as Patrick Vieira attempts to compete for a top-half finish, but with three weeks left until the window closes, they could be about to lose one of their players.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Tom Barclay, has given his perspective on the current loan situation that Jean-Philippe Mateta finds himself in at Crystal Palace, and it doesn’t look like it’s good news for Palace.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT:

“I know Mateta scored the other day, but unless he goes on an incredible run, I’m not convinced that Vieira is convinced by him, so I’m expecting him to return from his loan rather than Palace sign him permanently.”

Mateta was acquired on loan by the London club after he was putting in impressive performances for his parent club Mainz at the beginning of last season, with ten goals and one assist that had caught former Palace manager, Roy Hodgson’s eye, who signed the 24-year-old on an 18-month loan with the club last January.

Fans may be concerned

Vieira is clearly not convinced by the Frenchman’s performances so far in his presence since joining the club as head coach in the summer, and has only given Mateta two Premier League starts this season.

With rumours that the loan could be cut short fans have taken to social media to slam the potential decision to let him return five months early to his Bundesliga club. One supporter tweeted:

“I think we should just keep Mateta and forget about Nketiah and keep the money for positions that need improvements.”

The 30k-per-week star put in a fantastic performance against Milwall at the weekend in the FA Cup game, where in the 54 minutes played he scored the winning goal in the 58th minute to beat their rivals 2-1, as well as offering up some clinical play, with a fantastic pass accuracy of 93% during his opportunity for minutes on the pitch, according to SofaScore.

As a result, it seems perplexing that just as he begins to find form, he’s set to head back to his parent club.

Indeed, the supporter above makes a valid point that money on a potential successor could be better spent on other areas of the team that need improving, including the full-back areas where they are strapped for depth.

Although he’s not impressed since landing in London, fans could be concerned by the ongoing situation surrounding Mateta. After all, they’d just be losing a player and then having to fork out what could be quite a considerable sum to find a replacement.

The French manager has a big decision to make in a short amount of time on the future of his 24-year-old forward, as Saint Etienne are rumoured to be interested in swooping to offer him a loan deal this January.

With Palace linked to signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Vieira clearly needs to make a quick decision on how he intends to see out the strike force of the side for the rest of the season.

In other news: Crystal Palace targeting January swoop for Marseille striker Bamba Dieng

Antonio Conte must turn to the rarely-seen Tanguy Ndombele for Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming festive fixtures, once they are able to return to action.

Sat just outside the top four and in need of a win in their final Europa Conference League group game, Spurs could do with someone of his calibre in the final third.

Conte and co are in need of some sort of saviour as his squad could be depleted going forward due to a viral outbreak amongst the Lilywhites camp this week – according to football.london, as many as seven first-team players have tested positive by a lateral flow test.

Provided Ndombele isn’t one of those, which he is unlikely to be after footage surfaced of training this week, he could hold the keys to Spurs enjoying some success in an absolute time of need.

He would provide the north Londoners with a player capable of driving the ball into the final third, and that’s what will be needed to boost their chances of transforming their fortunes in attack.

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After all, scoring goals has largely been the biggest problem facing the team, with leading striker Harry Kane sitting on just one goal in the Premier League so far this season.

Only Norwich City (10.7) have managed fewer shots per game than Spurs (10.9), via WhoScored, whilst they are inside the bottom seven teams for expected goals (17.83 xG), even though they are on the cusp of a top-four spot.

Despite only starting five top-flight games, Ndombele is among Conte’s most prolific ball-carriers, having averaged 2.4 successful dribbles per 90 minutes, which is only bettered by Lucas Moura (3.5) of those who have played more than 400 minutes this term.

Elsewhere, he is also capable of doing the ‘dirty work’, having managed 2.2 tackles per 90, too. That’s actually better than defenders such as Ben Davies (0.6) and Eric Dier (0.3).

Ndombele was once dubbed a “world-beater” who can be “unplayable” on his day by former Spurs teammate Joe Hart and it’s that level of performance that we need to see from him more often and consistently.

That said, he clearly poses a level of technical ability greater than the bulk of his teammates, which is why his presence is needed on the pitch, especially in the final third, in such a crucial run of fixtures.

The £26m-rated midfielder must start in Conte’s XI going forward.

AND in other news, Spurs plot an ‘unprecedented’ January transfer spending spree. claim sources…

A major update has emerged on Rangers defender Leon King, amid speculation over his future at the club.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has excitingly claimed that the club are poised to open discussions with the academy product over extended terms at Ibrox.

The reporter has also revealed that Premier League sides Newcastle and Manchester United are keen on his services, with both sides able to pin him to a pre-contract agreement in January if he does not sign a new deal with the Gers.

He Tweeted: “Rangers are planning contract talks with highly-rated youngster Leon King amid interest from Manchester United and Newcastle United.”

Exciting talent

Rangers fans will surely love this transfer update from O’Rourke as it suggests that the club are working hard to ensure King’s future is in Glasgow and not south of the border.

Two teams from the English top-flight are said to be interested and that could be a cause for concern given that his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season.

The Scottish youth international has shown signs of promise in the Gers academy and could be one to watch for the future. He made his Premiership debut for the club earlier this year, at the age of 17, which suggests that Steven Gerrard saw a lot of potential in the young centre-back as he put his faith in him at senior level.

Therefore, it could be a big blow to lose him, particularly on a measly compensation deal, at the end of the campaign. The interest in his services is worrying and that is why fans will love to read this major update on the club’s attempts to keep him.

Supporters will surely be buzzing with Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst’s plans to pin him down to extended terms. If they can tie him down to a new contract then that could evaporate the clubs circling around his signature and ensure that he is a player who can be utilised further down the line by the Dutch coach.

He could be a player who is part of the long-term plans at Ibrox and could save them money in the future, as he could fill up a first-team spot that would otherwise be occupied by a potentially expensive signing.

AND in other news, Gio must avoid 1st Rangers disaster with £21k-p/w “student” who’s a “joy to work with”…

As per Sky Sports Germany, Tottenham Hotspur may have been handed a possible boost in the race to sign Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.

The Lowdown: Tottenham table offer…

According to a recent update in the paper edition of Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Tottenham and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are well in the race to sign Dembele as his contract at the Camp Nou winds down.

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Currently set to expire in 2022, the Frenchman could leave Barcelona on a free deal in the summer and is free to negotiate pre-contract moves in January.

This has apparently alerted Spurs and Paratici according to the Spanish source, with the club even making an ‘offer’ to his agents as they attempt to sign Dembele for new manager Antonio Conte.

Paratici has allegedly set his sights on bringing in ‘quality players’ for Conte at ‘zero cost’ with Spurs already tabling a proposal to the 24-year-old’s entourage as they attempt to sign him on a free in 2022.

However, as per 90min, Spurs are not the only club interested in signing Dembele with many big names keeping tabs – including Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Paris-Saint Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

The Latest: Bayern ruled out…

As per Sky Germany, Spurs may now have been gifted a boost in the race for Dembele as the reliable broadcaster now rules out one contender.

Indeed, according to their information, Bayern are not interested in signing the £210,000-per-week forward with there being ‘doubters’ at the Allianz Arena after analysing him.

The Verdict: Spurs gifted boost…

The Bundesliga heavyweights being ruled out of the race for Dembele can surely only come as good news for Spurs and Conte as they eye a move for the in-demand winger.

Tottenham’s restricted financial power, as evident by the fact they announced pre-tax losses of £80.2m and club debt rising to £706m recently (The Guardian), means they will need all the assistance they can get in the transfer market with European heavyweights like Bayern providing major competition.

However, as they hold no interest according to Sky, it appears Paratici and co won’t have to be concerned about them posing a January threat in a possible boost for Spurs.

In other news: Spurs in pole position to sign ‘perfect’ player for Conte after price tag drops by nearly half, find out more here.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Borna Barisic to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that the Glasgow Rangers left-back is one of a number of players on Steven Gerrard’s shortlist of transfer targets ahead of the winter window.

The report goes on to state that, while the 41-year-old Aston Villa manager does not want to ruin his relationship with the Scottish Premiership side, he believes the defender has the ability to make the step up to Premier League football and could look to pursue a deal for the 29-year-old in January.

Purslow must move

Considering the poor form of Aston Villa’s current first-choice left-back, Matt Targett, so far this season, the position would indeed appear as if it could do with strengthening in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over Targett’s 10 Premier League appearances this term, the £15.3m-rated man has helped his side keep just one clean sheet, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 1.2 clearances and winning a mere 3.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Villa’s 10th-worst performer in the league.

In comparison, while the Scottish Premiership is undoubtedly a lower standard of football than the English top-flight, Barisic has nevertheless looked much more impressive than the £34k-per-week Villa defender.

Indeed, over his six league appearances, the £5.4m-rated Croatia international has helped his side keep one clean sheet, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, three clearances and winning 4.3 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the player who Gerrard himself dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking the 29-year-old as Gers’ third-best player in the division.

As such, considering the stark contrast between the respective returns of each player, it would indeed seem highly advisable for Christian Purslow to sanction a swoop for the £18k-per-week Barisic in January, as he is most certainly a player Gerrard would love to once again have in his squad, as well as appearing to be an immediate upgrade on Targett.

In other news: Lange can solve Gerrard’s biggest AVFC problem with £5m swoop for “unpleasant” 23 y/o

Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia might have to reconsider their overseas signings for the Twenty20 Big Bash due to a clash with Sri Lanka’s international schedule

Cricinfo staff30-Sep-2009Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia might have to reconsider their overseas signings for the Twenty20 Big Bash due to a clash with Sri Lanka’s international schedule. Muttiah Muralitharan (Victoria), Lasith Malinga (Tasmania) and Ajantha Mendis (South Australia) were set to take part in the Big Bash and thus potentially qualify to play for the states in next year’s Champions League Twenty20.However, there is now a planned tri-series between Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh during early January that would rule the Sri Lankan players out. Muralitharan said his Victoria contract stipulated that international commitments must take precedence and while he could possibly play a couple of matches at the end of the Big Bash, that was unlikely.”At the time when I sign it was free, now it is a problem because Sri Lanka has put a tour to Bangladesh that’s not confirmed yet,” Muralitharan told the Age. “In the contract we put if it happens then I won’t be able to come, because there’s no point playing two or three matches rather than the whole thing. That’s the only problem at the moment, otherwise I am happy to play there.”Spinners play a big part in Twenty20, so I said okay. I never played domestic in Australia, I played in England but not other countries except in India because of IPL. I thought it’s a good chance for me before we go to Twenty20 World Cup and IPL.”Muralitharan was looking forward to making the MCG a home ground after he was called for throwing by Darrell Hair at the venue 14 years ago. He refused to tour Australia in 2004 after being branded a chucker by Australia’s then prime minister John Howard, but Muralitharan said he had no problem with Australian crowds and would have enjoyed the chance to play for Shane Warne’s home team.”Warney is one of the greatest spinners I have ever seen and it’s a privilege to [represent] his home state,” Muralitharan said. “Only problem was that comment by the ex-prime minister. It’s not proper for the head of state to comment about someone’s bowling, because that’s not part of his job … after that I didn’t have any problems.”The states are allowed to sign two international players each and Victoria have also secured Dwayne Bravo for the Twenty20 tournament. Neither Tasmania nor South Australia have signed a second player, although the states have until Christmas Eve to confirm their overseas stars.