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Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia is a doubt for the club’s season opener against Bournemouth on Saturday, according to two reliable journalists. 

The lowdown

Steven Gerrard will bring his Villa side to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon to take on Scott Parker’s newly-promoted Cherries.

Buendia made 35 Premier League appearances for the Villans last season, starting 22 times overall.

Only Matty Cash (38), Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Martinez (both 36) featured in more top-flight matches for the club in 2021/22.

Buendia recorded the joint-most assists (six, level with Danny Ings) and led the way outright for expected assists with 5.5 (via FBRef).

The £75,000-per-week playmaker has been called a ‘tenacious little character’, an ‘amazing talent’ and a ‘little warrior’ by manager Steven Gerrard.

The latest

Both The Athletic’s Gregg Evans and The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece describe Buendia as a ‘doubt’ for the trip to the South Coast.

Evans explains that he is ‘recovering from [a] quad injury’ but was able to train on Thursday and would ‘be assessed’ ahead of the game.

Preece, meanwhile, adds specifically that Buendia ‘picked up [a] thigh strain in last week’s behind-closed-doors game vs Fulham’.

Intriguingly, these updates came after the official club account stated that Buendia would be ‘available for selection’, so it seems the journalists have received slightly less optimistic information, with Preece confirming a late fitness check is expected before the match.

The verdict

How will Aston Villa’s team look on Saturday?

Well, one area where there is some clarity is the midfield three. According to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse, Gerrard is ‘expected’ to start new signing Boubacar Kamara alongside Douglas Luiz and John McGinn.

McGinn has been appointed the new club captain, taking the armband from Tyrone Mings. It will be interesting to see, therefore, whether the deposed centre-back keeps his place in the side at all, with Diego Carlos adding to the competition.

And Gerrard also has a decision to make up front – does he play both Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, or favour one over the other? Perhaps the absence of Buendia in the attacking midfield role will force the gaffer into a traditional front two.

European giants AC Milan are now looking to seal a loan agreement for Tottenham Hotspur starlet Pape Matar Sarr, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyes exits…

Amid their plethora of transfer activity, Tottenham’s sporting director Fabio Paratici is reportedly also trying to seal some player exits to balance the squad.

Six summer signings have arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet and Djed Spence.

Following on from those arrivals, it has been reported that Paratici and Spurs officials are looking to agree outgoings, with the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Winks most heavily tipped to leave the Premier League club.

The Latest: Sarr wanted…

As per 90min, it appears that Milan are attempting to seal a loan move for promising Spurs ace Sarr.

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Indeed, the report claims that Stefano Pioli’s side have opened talks to sign the African sensation, who was recently voted the continent’s Young Player of the Year.

Milan are apparently ‘looking to strike a deal’ for Sarr but Spurs are pushing for a straight season-long loan with no purchase option, coming after the 19-year-old’s impressive season on loan at Metz.

The Verdict: Next stage…

Sarr could well benefit from taking the next stage of his development and Milan seems like an ideal place to do just that, especially considering that the starlet would be competing in one of Europe’s top leagues and for an historic club who are the reigning Serie A champions.

Having been hailed as ‘most impressive’ for his time in France last year by a director at an unnamed Ligue 1 club, a step up to the San Siro could well be the 19-year-old’s reward.

It would also give him a platform to impress that he might not have at Tottenham, for whom he has yet to even appear in a competitive matchday squad.

The new season may only be in its infancy yet Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst faces what could prove arguably the most important team selection of the entire campaign, with the Old Firm giants preparing to take on Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League this evening.

The Glasgow side head into that second-leg, qualifying tie at Ibrox in need of something of a miracle having fallen to a 2-0 defeat away in Belgium last week, with the former Feyenoord coach admitting his side were “lucky” to have walked away with only a two-goal deficit after what was an abject all-round display.

One figure who stole the headlines for all the wrong reasons in that dismal loss was goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin, with the 34-year-old inexplicably failing to keep out Teddy Teuma’s first-half strike, as the hosts took a deserved lead.

While the former Sunderland stopper did redeem himself with a vital save late on – after a contentious VAR call had resulted in the home side extending their advantage – doubts remain as to whether he should remain the first-choice ‘keeper moving forward.

Those concerns have only been heightened by the man he has usurped to take that starting berth, with veteran ace Allan McGregor having been restricted to the substitutes bench so far this season, after signing a new one-year deal at the club earlier this summer.

Having such a quality asset in reserve appears somewhat futile, particularly with the former Scotland international having shown no signs that he is on the decline despite entering into his 40s, having been vital in the charge to the Europa League final last term.

That run included a stupendous double save against Sparta Prague to help the Scottish Premiership side progress from the group stage, having previously pulled off an “impossible” stop – in the words of Adrian Durham – against fellow Czech side Slavia Prague back in March 2021.

A man for the big occasion, it would seemingly be folly to overlook the £13k-per-week titan once again this evening, with his place on the bench only putting further scrutiny on both Van Bronckhorst and McLaughlin.

Unleashing the one-time Besiktas man – who is currently enjoying his second spell in Glasgow – would help to alleviate that pressure, while his “world-class” quality, as described by former boss Steven Gerrard, will hand the club the best chance of victory.

Dubbed Rangers’ “best ever goalkeeper” by Tam McManus, McGregor offers a wealth of experience having racked up 447 appearances for the club across all competitions, with that leader-like presence seemingly what is needed on what could be a season-defining evening.

Staring down the barrel of another early Champions League exit, Van Bronckhorst should call upon a man who was involved in their last group stage appearance in the competition 12 years ago.

The club’s hopes of progression could rest on it…

West Ham United are now eyeing a move for Colombia international and big name player James Rodriguez, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Hammers keep busy…

The Hammers and manager David Moyes have been busy in this summer transfer market as the club set sights on an emergency centre-back signing and the possible addition of a new midfielder.

Having missed out on a place in the Premier League top six last season, West Ham appear determined not to miss out on Europa League/Champions League qualification again.

Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola, Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet have arrived at Rush Green as news now emerges on a head-turning new target.

The Latest: West Ham eye Rodriguez move…

Indeed, according to reports out of Spain, the east Londoners are now targeting former Everton playmaker Rodriguez amid his uncertain future at Al Rayyan in the Qatar League.

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Marca claim West Ham, Galatasary and a ‘couple of teams in Greece’ have expressed an interest in the 31-year-old this summer.

The Verdict: Avoid…

Rodriguez’s quality has been evident in the past with footballing legend David Beckham even once tipping him to ‘become one of the world’s best players’ after a ‘spectacular’ game at the 2014 World Cup against Brazil (via Daily Express).

And he backed that form up at Real Madrid, contributing to 78 goals in 124 games,  winning two Champions League and two La Liga titles.

However, his unceremonious exit from the Toffees last summer could indicate an attitude problem which Moyes will be unlikely to try and tame at the London Stadium.

The Scotsman carefully vets transfer targets to pass his personality test and we believe Rodriguez could be a case West Ham will want to avoid.

Leeds United target Wilfried Gnoto was benched on Thursday because of transfer speculation, according to The Scotsman (via MOT Leeds News).

The lowdown

Gnoto’s FC Zurich faced Scottish Premiership side Hearts on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying play off tie.

The Italian had started three of his side’s first five domestic games, and three of their four European ties, but was restricted to a 20-minute cameo in the 2-1 victory.

Leeds manager Jesse Marsch has publicly admitted that the Whites are admirers of Gnoto and may well pursue a deal.

The latest

The newspaper report on Saturday that Gnoto was left on the bench at the Stadion Letzigrund as a result of ‘transfer talk’.

He’s still expected to travel to Scotland next week for the second leg, and is ‘highly likely’ to play a part.

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The verdict

Leeds fans probably didn’t expect to be invested in Zurich’s team selection for their cup tie against SC Cham on Sunday, but a few may be keeping their eyes peeled now.

If Gnoto is being left out of the side, it could suggest he’s not in the right frame of mind to start, perhaps because his head has been turned.

Should he get the opportunity to play, the 18-year-old will hope to demonstrate what he’s capable of.

National team boss Roberto Mancini has already billed him a ‘quality’ player who’s ‘very quick’.

After he netted ten goals and provided five assists in just 1,532 minutes of action last season (a direct contribution every 102 minutes), he’s established himself as one of the biggest teenage talents to watch in Europe.

Following Alex Neil’s departure as Sunderland manager, Alan Nixon has revealed three candidates being considered for the vacant position at the Stadium of Light.

The Lowdown: Neil’s departure

The Black Cats confirmed on Sunday that the 41-year-old, who only joined the Wearside club in February, had left his role in the northeast to join fellow Championship side Stoke City.

Leading the club to a fifth-place finish in League One, Neil delivered promotion for Sunderland via the play-offs, ending their four-year stay in the third tier of English football.

The Wearsiders even enjoyed a strong start to life in the Championship under his leadership, collecting eight points from their first five games of the season.

The Latest: Nixon’s news

With Sunderland now on the hunt for a new manager, amid a weekend revelation from Jeff Stelling that Tony Mowbray was set to be appointed, Nixon has revealed two other names being linked with the job, namely Liam Manning and Anthony Barry.

In response to a question on Twitter as to who may be appointed as the new Black Cats manager, the journalist claimed: “Mowbray is trying … Barry is interesting … so is Manning …”

The Verdict: Disappointing departure

With things finally looking up for the Wearside outfit after years of stagnation, uncertainty once again mounts at the Stadium of Light after the 41-year-old walked out on the club after less than seven months in charge.

Mowbray, who is currently deemed the favourite for the role in some quarters, left Blackburn in the summer after five years in charge at Ewood Park. He previously led West Brom to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League in 2008, more recently winning promotion from League One with Blackburn four years ago.

Looking to the other candidates, Manning led MK Dons to a third-place finish in League One last season, two higher than Sunderland, before losing out in the play-off semi-finals to Wycombe.

Barry is also an interesting option, given that he is currently a first-team coach at Chelsea after he was hired during Frank Lampard’s stint as manager, having previously been an assistant to Paul Cook at Wigan Athletic and also worked with the Belgium coaching setup.

Whoever is chosen for the job, if it is indeed to be one of these three, let’s just hope they stay put for a bit longer than Neil did.

Celtic have a big test ahead of them this afternoon as they take on their Glasgow rivals, Rangers, in the first Old Firm Derby of the SPFL season.

The Hoops are heading into this match off the back of a blistering 9-0 league win over Dundee United at the weekend, followed by their 4-1 win over Ross County in the Scottish League Cup.

Looking ahead to today’s game at Celtic Park, it seems as though Ange Postecoglou’s side have been handed an injury boost that could impact their chance of securing a victory over their close rivals.

What’s the news?

Speaking in his latest press conference, Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Tom Lawrence will not feature in today’s clash and will be out for a few weeks after picking up a knee injury.

Rangers signed the Welshman during the recent summer transfer window on a free deal from Derby County.

During his time with the Rams, Lawrence ended up scoring 37 goals and delivering 25 assists in 185 appearances across all competitions.

A big relief for Postecoglou

Since moving to Ibrox, the 28-year-old has made nine appearances for the club across the SPFL and Champions League qualifying games.

In those nine appearances, the former Derby star has found the net three times and delivered two assists, showing how much of an attacking and creative danger he is.

To further highlight his attacking talent, only Matt O’Riley (3.6) has a higher average for shots per game in the league this season than Lawrence (3.4) in the whole division.

With all of that in mind, it’s clear that Rangers will have to make do without one of their main attacking threats this afternoon, which will surely be a relief to Postecoglou and diminish the away side’s chances of securing a victory.

However, with the Ibrox club only conceding two more goals than Celtic in the league this season and having made more successful tackles (45 vs 38) and interceptions (30 vs 29) than Postecoglou’s side, the Hoops will still need to be on their best attacking form if they want to make sure they don’t drop any points and continue their winning run of form.

Everton failed in a deadline day move to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz, confirms Lancs Live journalist Elliott Jackson.

The Lowdown: Toffees’ striker search

Despite the arrival of Neal Maupay from Brighton in a deal worth £15m, Frank Lampard remained keen on bringing another forward to Goodison Park right up until the transfer deadline.

Numerous strikers have been touted with a move to the Toffees this summer, including the likes of Chelsea’s Armando Broja and Southampton’s Che Adams.

However, it appears Everton turned their attention elsewhere, making a deadline day swoop for a Championship starlet.

The Latest: Jackson’s news

Jackson has now revealed Everton did make a last-minute call for Brereton Diaz, rivalling Premier League newcomers Fulham to the 23-year-old’s signature.

Taking to Twitter, the Lancs Live journalist claimed:

“To clarify the reports earlier, Everton made a phone call on Ben Brereton Diaz and whilst there were discussions, once again the figures were nowhere near Rovers’ valuation. He is going nowhere this transfer window.”

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The Verdict: Would have been a great addition

Despite Maupay’s arrival at Goodison Park, Everton still remain short of strikers, especially given Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury struggles and Richarlison’s departure.

Therefore, Brereton Diaz, who scored 22 goals in 37 Championship games last season, could’ve been a brilliant addition to Lampard’s squad.

Last season in the Premier League, Richarlison finished the campaign as the Toffees’ top scorer, having bagged ten goals in 30 appearances.

Regardless of his injuries, Calvert-Lewin put up worrying numbers, as he netted just five goals in 17 league appearances.

With Brereton Diaz having been dubbed an ‘extraordinary’ talent by former Rovers boss Tony Mowbray, his arrival on Merseyside would have added a clinical and versatile goal-scorer to Lampard’s squad.

If the Blues are struggling for goals by Christmas, this could be a move which is revisited in January.

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Douglas Luiz to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that, with Mikel Arteta growing increasingly concerned by the injury-prone Thomas Partey, the Spaniard has once again turned his attention towards the Aston Villa midfielder – for whom the Gunners saw a £23m offer rejected during the closing stages of the summer window.

However, the report goes on to state, with the 24-year-old’s current contract at Villa Park set to expire at the end of the season, Edu now believes that an offer of £15m should be enough to tempt Steven Gerrard into cashing in on the Brazil international – with the midfielder believed to be extremely keen on the idea of a move north London.

Absolute steal

While it is true that Luiz has somewhat fallen out of favour under the management of Gerrard this season, the argument that the former Manchester City starlet would make an exceptional addition to Arteta’s current options in midfield – especially for a fee in the region of £15m – is nevertheless an easy one to make.

Indeed, with Partey having missed the last nine games of the Premier League run-in last term due to a knock – something that ultimately contributed to Arsenal ceding their top four spot – as well as having already missed four fixtures this season as a result of a thigh injury – it would appear a wise move to bring in greater depth in defensive midfield.

And, considering how impressive Luiz was in the Premier League for Villa last time out, the 24-year-old would very much look to be an ideal candidate to come in and immediately strengthen Arteta’s squad.

Indeed, over his 34 league fixtures in 2021/22, the £31.5m-rated talent highly impressed in metrics typical of his defensively-minded position in the middle of the pitch, making an average of 1.7 tackles, one interception, 37.7 passes – at a success rate of 87% – and won 4.4 duels per game.

The £32k-per-week talent also chipped in for Villa going forwards, bagging two goals, providing three assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.7 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.7 dribbles per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Ty Bracey dubbed “unreal” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.89, ranking him as Gerrard’s ninth-best performer in the league last time out – playing a key role in Villa securing a comfortable mid-table finish.

As such, considering his solid displays in the middle of the park, his potential for future development and the fact the Brazilian currently boasts a market value of £16.5m more than Arsenal’s planned offer, should Edu manage to get a £15m deal over the line for Luiz this January it would undoubtedly represent an absolute steal for the Gunners.

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Cody Gakpo to Elland Road.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Dutch publication Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following the Whites’ failed attempts to convince the PSV Eindhoven forward of a switch to LS11 in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, Victor Orta could be handed a second opportunity to land the 23-year-old in either January’s or next summer’s market.

The report goes on to state that this is down to the fact that, due to the Eredivisie side’s current financial situation, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side will be forced to sell either Gakpo or Ibrahim Sangare before July 1 of next year in order to help balance their books.

Their answer to Haaland?

Considering that Fabrizio Romano reported that Leeds are “determined to try again in January” for Gakpo shortly after missing out on the winger’s signing this summer, coupled with just how impressive the 23-year-old has been in the Netherlands so far this season, Orta simply must do all he can to take advantage of PSV’s financial situation in order to finally land the attacker.

Indeed, over his eight Eredivisie appearances in 2022/23, the £31.5m-rated talent has been in extraordinary form, having already scored eight goals, registered six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 4.1 shots – 56% of which have hit the target – making 4.3 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £7.4k-per-week forward average a simply breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 8.70, not only ranking him as Van Nistelrooy’s best performer in the league but also by far and away as the best player in the Dutch top flight as a whole so far this season.

For comparison, they seem to mirror that of Erling Haaland – the Premier League’s top scorer – who is having a similarly eye-brow-raising campaign.

Throughout his eight league fixtures in 2022/23, the £135m-rated striker has scored 14 goals, registered three assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 4.1 shots – 61% of which have hit the target – making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the Norway international average a quite ridiculous SofaScore match rating of 8.20, ranking him as the best player in both the Manchester City squad and the Premier League as a whole – but still falling short of Gakpo.

As such, with it being evident just how talented a forward the €45m (£39m) player who Josh Bunting dubbed both “electric” and “absolutely outstanding” truly is, Orta simply must do everything in his power to convince Gakpo of a move to Elland Road either this winter or next summer – as the Netherlands international could well prove to become Leeds’ own Haaland – a goalscoring monster capable of producing exhilarating displays in English football.