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Ross Barkley has earned plaudits from the official Aston Villa Twitter account for his display against former club Everton on Saturday, but plenty of fans were less than impressed.

Villa won 2-1 on Merseyside to end a three-game winless streak and regain their place in the top half.

The impressive numbers behind Barkley’s Goodison showing

Chelsea loanee Barkley was awarded a rating of 7.8 by SofaScore for his performance.

He created two chances, one of which was a big chance, and won six of his nine ground duels. The 27-year-old also struck the post with an effort from outside the area.

And according to Villa’s Twitter account, Barkley recorded the most touches (84), most completed passes (55) and most dribbles (four) out of anyone on the pitch.

He was even included in the WhoScored team of the week in central midfield alongside Manchester City’s Rodri.

Barkley had been struggling for form, with Birmingham Mail journalist Ashley Preece noting that his ‘confidence (is) on the floor’ amid ‘fierce and harsh criticism’ from sections of the Villa fanbase.

And some supporters seem to not be buying the upturn in form considering his poor displays through most of the season – Whoscored rank him as the side’s tenth-best performer.

Villa fans tell Ross it’s ‘too little, too late’

“Not so good at marking from corners though. Feel the improved performance was down to the opponents more than anything else”

Credit: @SilverFoxZone

“Too little too late. He needed to step up months ago. Flattered to deceive. We need someone who can handle the pressure when Jack is out”

Credit: @pkaza84

“Fool me once…”

Credit: @M10Packed

“Badly wanted him to prove me wrong at the start of the season but it’s just not happened…. 3 good games in a season is no more than championship level”

Credit: @Liam_Kinsella95

“Shut up”

Credit: @branparker4

“Gives ball away far too many times and only person he can tackle is himself.”

Credit: @knightyc1980

In other news, Dean Smith’s side are said to be plotting a move for this defender.

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas has revealed in an interview with The Athletic that there was some animosity between himself and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy when he opted to turn down the opportunity to join PSG.

THE LOWDOWN: VILLAS-BOAS WAS WANTED BY PSG

Villas-Boas was in charge of Tottenham for just over a year but failed to pick up any silverware in his time with the north London club. The 43-year-old was linked with the managerial vacancy at French giants PSG back in 2013 whilst contracted to Spurs, but turned down the opportunity to take charge with them as he opted to stay with Spurs.

However, he was sacked from his role in charge of Spurs in December 2013 after they were thrashed 5-0 at home by Liverpool, which left them seventh in the Premier League.

Spurs are now searching for another manager after parting company with Jose Mourinho during the 2020/21 season, although Graham Potter is now believed to be the ninth candidate to turn down the club’s approach this summer.

THE LATEST: VILLAS-BOAS ISSUES INSIGHT INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH LEVY

Speaking in a recent interview with The Athletic, Villas-Boas has issued an insight into his failed move to PSG, whilst also highlighting the animosity between himself and Daniel Levy during that time at Spurs. He revealed:

“I understood Tottenham wanted me to go to Paris. I had an offer from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. But I said, “No”.

“So I didn’t have the best of relationships with Daniel. We were correct throughout but we were not in love with each other and I think they wanted me to accept the offer.

“I have a different vision of football and, for me, whenever somebody declines something that’s normally better — be it contract-wise or the possibility of you winning — for me, you are entitled to a contract renewal. That’s how I see things. It wasn’t the case. And that led to a bad, bad animosity between us.”

THE VERDICT: IS LEVY A DIFFICULT MAN TO WORK WITH?

His comments will be a real eye-opener to some supporters, and he does make some fair points in terms of the bar potentially being too high at Spurs.

It’s been a case of ‘so close, yet so far’ for Tottenham in recent years, and it certainly seems surprising to hear that the club were keen on Villas-Boas to leave in favour of a move to PSG. When he duly turned them down, it’s not a surprise to see that the relationship with Levy went south thereafter.

Spurs haven’t had the best of luck with managerial appointments in recent seasons, which makes it even more important that they get this next one right. Alas, this anecdote from Villas-Boas indicates a warning to the club’s next manager as to how difficult it can be at times to work with Levy, with the word “animosity” eliciting concern.

In other news, this Tottenham player has been linked with a return to his homeland.

Arsenal fans will be extremely excited about the future of Folarin Balogun given his superb performances in Ligue 1 with Stade de Reims so far this season but Mikel Arteta could have another superstar waiting in the wings at London Colney.

Nikolaj Moller arrived at the Premier League leaders with a big reputation and will be hoping to make an impression in the first team in the coming years, having spent time away from the Gunners on loan in recent seasons.

Who is Nikolaj Moller?

The 20-year-old joined Arsenal from Malmo in October 2020 and was an instant hit with the U23s side, hitting seven goals and three assists in 18 appearances in the Premier League 2 in the 2020/21 campaign.

He was sent out on loan to FC Victoria Koln the following season, and while he failed to find the back of the net in ten appearances in Germany's third tier, he did score three times and assist once in just two appearances in the DFB Pokal.

The Sweden U20 international has spent time with FC Den Bosch in the Netherlands in each of the last two campaigns, notching a combined five goals and two assists in just 27 appearances, which suggests that he is not struggling to adapt to senior football.

Moller, who is described on Arsenal's website as "a towering striker with devastating finishing ability and strong link-up play", will draw natural comparisons with legendary Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because of his style of play and 6 foot 4 stature.

Indeed, he has already been compared to the great Swede, with one of Moller's former youth coaches, Robin Asterhed, not only labelling him a "super talent" but suggesting "there are some similarities with a young Ibra."

The former Barcelona and Inter forward is still going strong at the age of 41 with AC Milan and boasts an incredible record of 493 goals and 202 assists in 819 club appearances across his career thus far.

He has also scored a phenomenal 62 goals in 121 appearances for his country and has won a plethora of awards across a glittering career that has spanned across Europe and America, with 32 club trophies under his belt.

Naturally, if Moller was able to reach anywhere near that level in his time with Arsenal, then he could prove to be a huge success at the Emirates, and fans will be hoping that they can finally possess their own Ibrahimovic, having famously failed to sign the striker when he was just 19.

With Balogun attracting interest from across Europe after hitting 17 goals in 25 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, Arsenal may have to look towards Moller as their next young striker to take up the wonderkid mantle.

Newcastle may have ‘dodged a bullet’ by refusing the takeover offer from Bin Zayed International, according to Rob Lee.

It was reported back in May 2019 that Sheikh Khaled’s group were in negotiations with Mike Ashley over the £350m purchase of the club. The previous year, they had apparently expressed interest in buying Liverpool before being rebuffed by Fenway Sports Group.

The Mag’s Jonathan Drape-Comyn wrote at the time that the prospective deal had the ‘potential to be the best thing ever to happen to Newcastle United’, but ultimately no breakthrough was made and Ashley was left publicly questioning the true extent of their wealth.

Sheikh Khaled’s Derby bid unravelled

Bin Zayed International then moved onto other options in their pursuit of a club. Last November, an agreement with Derby County was reached in principle.

It was said that confirmation was imminent, and Khaled was even involved in the appointment of Wayne Rooney as permanent manager at Pride Park (via BBC Sport).

Howver, after ongoing delays in the completion of the deal, The Telegraph reported earlier this month that it had been scrapped, leaving Derby ‘furious’.

Former Newcastle midfielder Lee spoke to Football FanCast about the matter and believes that the Magpies may be fortunate that the prospective takeover never happened, saying:

“We won’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Mel Morris is in charge of Derby and maybe the same sort of thing [happened].

“We’ll never know, we’ll be guessing forever. We could’ve dodged a bullet.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

As Lee says, the details are murky. We don’t know, for instance, whether the Group would have sought to retain Rafael Benitez.

Initial reports suggested that they were intent on keeping the Spaniard, only for Ashley to later blame them for the Spaniard’s departure in June 2019.

An adequately-backed Benitez would theoretically have been a force on Tyneside, but can we really say, based on the chaotic picture we’ve been given of the takeover attempts, that this change of ownership would have ushered in a period of stability at St James’ Park?

In other news, Newcastle players are reportedly raging at one of their team-mates after his recent comments.

With Kalvin Phillips shining on the international stage with England at Euro 2020 this summer, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will likely be keen to unearth the club’s next big thing.

After seeing Leeds United’s under-23s clinch the Premier League 2 Division 2 title a few weeks ago, the Whites boss would no doubt have been earmarking some of the players who could make a real impact at first team level at Elland Road.

While the likes of Cody Drameh and Crysencio Summerville have strong cases to be given an opportunity in the Premier League, Bielsa may want to consider finally unleashing Charlie Cresswell.

The 1.83m (6 foot) defender has made just the one outing for the senior side thus far, playing the full match against Hull in the Carabao Cup earlier last season.

While he isn’t a holding midfielder like Phillips, he has also come through the Yorkshire club’s academy and looks like another one of those players off the production line who puts his heart and soul into being the best he can be.

After pictures emerged of him in pre-season training looking more physically built than ever before, former Leeds striker Noel Whelan waxed lyrical about the kind of progress the teenager has made and touted him for big things.

The 46-year-old said: “From the pictures, you can see he’s put in a lot of work, a lot of effort. He’s taking his role at the club very seriously about pushing Koch, Cooper, Llorente and Struijk. That’s good to see. I want to see that from young players.

“Doing that little bit extra, going that extra mile to put themselves in fantastic shape. We know how competitive the Premier League is and for places at Elland road now. They’re going to be even more competitive.

“It just goes to show we don’t need any more centre-halves. Cresswell, when played last season in the EFL Cup game he was fantastic. He was a standout and he’s definitely one to the future. When you look at him now in stature, he doesn’t look like he’d be fazed coming up against any bigger centre-forwards. He is an absolute beast.”

With reports in recent weeks raising question marks over Robin Koch’s ability to succeed at Premier League level, Bielsa must surely look towards Leeds’ burgeoning academy and utilise the potential of Cresswell, who has also shown his leadership skills by captaining the youth teams.

The 18-year-old could well become the next big Leeds United success story from the academy after Phillips.

Meanwhile, Leeds receive major update on Marcelo Bielsa’s future…

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he’d be surprised to see Tottenham rival north London neighbours Arsenal to sign Ben White.

The 23-year-old defender, who first caught the eye playing for Leeds in their promotion-winning season in 2019-2020, became a key part of Brighton’s back four last term, starting all but two of their Premier League matches.

Such was White’s form during his debut topflight season, he was rewarded by being named in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad for the Euros.

And whilst the centre-back is yet to feature in the tournament, it’s been a rapid rise for White, who was playing in League Two with Newport County ahead of the 2018 World Cup.

It’s not just Southgate who’s been impressed, though. Arsenal have been strongly linked with a £50m move for the Brighton man, according to The Athletic.

Despite Tottenham’s need for a centre-back as desperate as the Gunners, Windass told The Transfer Tavern that he’s not even sure White is a better option than Eric Dier:

“Strange one for me, Ben White. I know he’s been picked for England, but I think Dier is more experienced, and he will stay there.

“I’m not saying he’s a better player, but he knows the club, so I can’t see that happening.”

There has no been ‘no contact’ from clubs showing an interest in Leeds United star Raphinha, according to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic season for the Whites, arguably standing out as his side’s star man.

Raphinha has chipped in with six goals and assists apiece in the Premier League, with his pace, dribbling and unpredictability making him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Brazilian’s form has seen him linked with some of the top clubs in the country, with Liverpool one of those tipped to sign him.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Hay provides key Raphinha update

Hay has given a positive update from a Leeds perspective, however, telling David Ornstein that there has been no concrete interest in Raphinha yet:

“In terms of Raphinha, the last time I asked about him there had been no contact of note.

“For all the links to the various clubs, particularly the top four in England, there was nothing behind it.

“But you have to be sensible enough to know it all depends on who bids what and when they bid.”

Transfer Tavern take

The thought of Leeds losing Raphinha just a year after he arrived is a worrying one, considering what a huge impact he has made.

If Marcelo Bielsa’s men want to go up another level in the league, they need to be keeping hold of their biggest players and the silky wide man is certainly one of those.

His aforementioned 12 goal involvements are proof of that and his level of threat means opponents often focus on him, opening up space for teammates to run into.

It would also leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths, given the kind of cult hero Raphinha has already developed into thanks to his frankly ridiculous moments of skill – such as the nutmeg on Gary Cahill.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a potentially game-changing signing this summer. Find out who it is here.

Nuno Santo was happy the day before he announced he was leaving Wolves. That’s the word of club legend Steve Bull who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast this week.

However, a rift behind the scenes has put the club as we know it in doubt. Nuno has departed the Midlands under a cloud of smoke following an argument over club finances.

It’s thought that Jeff Shi came to him with a plan to strengthen the club this summer but that involved selling their best players and working on finding cheaper replacements.

The Portuguese boss didn’t like it and consequently, he handed in his notice and headed for the departure lounge.

Within days of his exit, Ruben Neves has been linked with a £35m exit while the future of Adama Traore remains in doubt.

If the Spaniard stays at Molineux, he will be a pivotal player for any new manager coming in. One head coach linked with the vacancy is Paulo Fonseca.

Another manager to hail from Portugal, Fonseca is rather unsurprisingly a client of Jorge Mendes.

Though, he’s more than qualified for the job. He took Roma to the Europa League semi-finals this season and won the domestic league with Shakhtar Donestk in Ukraine in three consecutive seasons.

Fonseca has developed an attacking style of play, one that in his own words requires himself and the team to be “brave.”

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The 48-year-old prefers an energetic and intense brand of football, one that sees the ball moved forward in double-quick time.

For someone like Traore, this would game-changing. The Spain international is one of the quickest players in the division and managed to record more successful dribbles than anyone else in the top-flight this term.

He is a radiant ball of fun, an unstoppable force who can create panic among even the very best defences in the Premier League.

His numbers, however, haven’t been impressive this term. Traore scored just two goals and thus, improvement is needed.

Fonseca could help the winger to finally discover some consistent end product. The work he did with the group of attackers at Shakhtar was eye-catching.

The coach had the pleasure of managing Brazilian trio Taison, Marlos and Junior Moraes in Donetsk. They all flourished under the guidance of Fonseca as he witnessed them score a combined 88 goals in three years.

Besides Raul Jimenez, this Wolves attack hasn’t registered the most vibrant of numbers in recent years.

The Mexican scored 27 last term but only managed 11 appearances this season due to a fractured skull.

Fabio Silva scored just four goals in all competitions while Pedro Neto top-scored with five strikes. As a consequence, the trio could improve considerably under Fonseca’s watch.

Neto has proven himself to be an impressive performer this season but there is still a lot of potential to be extracted from Traore.

It never really felt like Nuno was able to get the best from him; perhaps Fonseca can change his fortunes.

AND in other news, Shades of Nuno: Shi will condemn Wolves to more mediocrity by hiring stubborn 49 y/o…

Many West Brom supporters have reacted to Valerien Ismael’s post-match comments after the 1-1 home draw with Millwall on Saturday.

The Baggies currently lead the Championship after six games, with four wins and two draws from their league campaign thus far.

Yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Millwall put them above Fulham after Marco Silva’s side fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at Blackpool, but they failed to muster any real clinical touch as they only registered two shots on target from 11 taken throughout the game.

Daniel Ballard cancelled out Kyle Bartley’s opener in the second half after Karlan Grant missed a first-half penalty, as Ismael’s side saw their four-game winning streak in the division ended despite having a succession of late chances.

The manager admitted afterwards: “We had our opportunities on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to win the game.

“We have to learn from that game. We will face this type of test plenty of times in the season when opponents come to The Hawthorns.

“They want to make us frustrated and take all of the intensity out of the game. Our purpose from that game is to learn from what happened and make sure we maintain our intensity.”

The Baggies received criticism from some fans for their tactics throughout the game as they played 75 long balls compared to Millwall’s 71, while hitting just two accurate crosses out of 19. In a game in which they were favourites, West Brom had fewer shots and fewer big chances than their London opponents.

It’s only their first points dropped since the opening day draw with Bournemouth, but Ismael’s style of play has received stick from his supporters, some of whom referenced the crude tactics of Tony Pulis during his reign at The Hawthorns in recent years.

West Brom fans react

These West Brom fans took to Twitter to react to Ismael’s comments following their disappointing draw with Millwall.

“Didn’t win a ball in the air for the first 40 minutes yet kept playing it high, was like watching Pulisball all over again. No plan B, just hit it long and hope for the best. Very poor today”

Credit: @rogeriley2

“Pulis would be proud”

Credit: @stujay4

“Need to learn how to pass instead of whacking it all the time”

Credit: @TibbsAiden

“Rubbish”

Credit: @Baggies684

“Play the ball on the deck more might help, that’s when we play our best football!”

Credit: @allnewswba

“Long throw should be a nice bonus to score a goal. Can’t be the entire gameplan. Not enough quality today needed to play football to beat these”

Credit: @OlArnie2

In other news, many Baggies fans are happy with one piece of transfer business. Find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters have bemoaned an injury update regarding Thiago, with the midfielder set to miss this week’s two matches.

The Reds enjoyed another productive weekend of Premier League action, winning 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday thanks to goals from Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita.

An otherwise positive afternoon was ruined slightly by Thiago’s injury, with the Spaniard limping off with a calf issue in the second half.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

It is the latest fitness setback for Liverpool, who have already lost Harvey Elliott to a dislocated ankle injury suffered at Leeds United earlier this month.

On Monday, the club’s official Twitter account and website confirmed that Thiago would miss Tuesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Norwich City, as well as the trip to Brentford in the league on Saturday.

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Liverpool fans react to Thiago injury latest

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to rue the news, with Thiago putting in some impressive performances so far this season but now stricken by yet another injury setback.

“Lol we really can’t have nice things”

Credit: @PsychoRelic_

“Here we go again”

Credit: @elmohuh

“What’s going on with this club?”

Credit: @_Bhokisi

“Pls get him back in time for City I beg”

Credit: @lfcKar

“Day ruined”

Credit: @santandaves

“We’ve been here with Thiago, 2 games better not turn into 3 months”

Credit: @__nxlo

In other news, some Liverpool fans love one Reds player’s recent social media post. Read more here.