Former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton has praised summer signing Marvelous Nakamba, saying he has been an underrated player for the club in the Premier League.

The 26 year-old signed from Belgian side Club Brugge for £10.80 million last summer, per Transfermarkt, and has featured 26 times in all competitions for the club.

It has been a hard season for Villa, who sit 19th in the Premier League with only ten games left to go, via BBC Sport, but the Zimbabwean is one of the players that the Scotsman has enjoyed watching.

When speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said: “I think Nakamba’s done well. Let’s not kid ourselves, it’s been a difficult season, it was always going to be a difficult season.

“I think Nakamba can come out after this season thinking he’s played his part. I think he is probably underrated as well.

“There’s so much focus on the likes of Tyrone, Jack, John, even Wesley. It’s been difficult but I think in terms of underrated, Nakamba.

“He’s went about his business very well, especially when the spotlight has been on other members of the squad.”

It’s hard to disagree with Hutton here, the defensive midfielder wins on average four ground duels per game, whilst making 2.4 tackles per game and 1.7 interceptions per game, via SofaScore. He trumps fellow midfielder Douglas Luiz on a number of those stats, via WhoScored, with the Brazilian only averaging 1.1 tackles a game and 0.7 interceptions per game by comparison.

This highlights how big an impact the player has when it comes to breaking up opposition attacks. The club have already conceded 56 goals in the Premier League, which is the most out of all the teams, but without Nakamba in the side, this could have been a lot more.

He may not get the same amount of praise as the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn or Tyrone Mings, but he is certainly a key player for Villa.

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Everton have had little luck of the past few seasons, finishing outside the top six in the Premier League and suffering defeat in cup competitions.

But what specific moments have really had the Toffees fans’ blood boiling? Here’s a look at just three fume-inducing moments from over the years…

Romelu Lukaku’s FA Cup penalty miss

The Belgian striker was hit-and-miss during his Everton career, amassing a very impressive 87 goals but not always sitting well with the fans.

One moment in particular that had the Toffees raging was during their FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester United. A Marouane Fellaini goal had United in front when Everton were given a golden opportunity to get themselves back in the game and potentially go on to win – a penalty.

Up stepped Lukaku, firing in a low ball in which David de Gea seemed to save with no trouble at all. Everton went on to lose the match 2-1, something which the fans are still furious over to this day.

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Ross Barkley’s move to Chelsea

Losing a homegrown player always sparks a lot of emotions across the fanbase, usually a mix of disappointment and the odd well wish. However, Barkley’s departure really didn’t go down well with the majority of Everton fans, who still can’t forgive him.

The Merseyside local made his move to Chelsea in 2018 – a great deal for the player but a very costly loss to the club, but not a loss of talent. Barkley was offered a £30m deal from the London side in January, but he instead left Goodison just before his contract expired in the summer, selling for half the price.

Fans were furious and bitterly disappointed in the 26-year-old for not making the initial move despite rejecting a new Everton contract. The club lost out on £15m which could have been put towards strengthening the squad.

James Beattie’s eighth-minute red card

In a game that was viewed as a must-win for the Toffees, a player in the worst position imaginable was given his marching orders less than ten minutes into the fixture. Striker Beattie was shown a straight red card after he was seen to have head-butted Chelsea’s William Gallas.

The London side went on to win by a slim 1-0 scoreline and as a result of his actions, Beattie was ruled out of Everton’s huge FA Cup fifth-round clash against Man United. The Toffees fell to their Northern rivals 2-0, which the suspended striker likely could have helped prevent.

Fans were naturally massively frustrated with his unnecessary sending off and it’s a moment many Toffees look back on and still roll their eyes.

According to Foot Mercato, Newcastle are interested in a potential summer swoop for Real Betis ace Nabil Fekir.

What’s the word?

Despite the footballing season being postponed, Newcastle may have something very big to shout about if things go as planned – the club’s reported takeover appears to be inching ever closer.

And with that, a summer of big-money signings could be on the cards, and they are already being linked with some high-profile names.

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French publication Foot Mercato have suggested that the Tyneside club “plan to turn” to Fekir, and is “one of the priority targets to strengthen the Magpies’ line of attack.

Shades of Ben Arfa

French, left-footed, and someone who shone in Ligue 1. Remind Newcastle fans of anyone?

Hatem Ben Arfa of course enjoyed a rollercoaster ride in his time at St James’ Park, coming up with some truly magical moments – even if his consistency deserted at times.

There were plenty of times where he dragged the Magpies to some big wins, including being the architect of some wonderful solo goals. He was a true maverick, who when unleashed, really exploded for the Tyneside club – the 2011/2012 campaign saw him net five Premier League goals and assists, as well as averaging two dribbles per game too.

And Fekir is in a similar mold of being able to produce moments of magic with his left foot too. At Real Betis this season, he has managed seven goals and three assists in La Liga, averaging 3.3 shots, 1.1 key passes and 3.3 dribbles per game too.

The £28.8m-rated Frenchman is a major offensive threat, and his ability to beat players in one on one situations with his dribbling skills means he is exactly the type of player who can add a sprinkle of stardust like Ben Arfa did.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are interested in this Serie A powerhouse.

ScorecardIndia A squandered a solid start to hand the initiative to New Zealand A at the end of a rain-affected first day of the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A in Lincoln.India were sent into bat and started strongly through their openers Unmukt Chand and captain Abhinav Mukund. The duo put on 50 runs in 11 overs and added 87 runs for the first wicket before Mukund (42) was dismissed. Anustup Majumdar followed soon after but Chand held firm to carry India from 87 for 2 to 118 for 2. However Chand fell soon after reaching his half-century and New Zealand struck once again before bad light halted play to reduce India to 136 for 4. Only 36.4 overs had been bowled at that stage, but rain meant no further play was possible.

Mark Lane, England Women’s head coach, is confident his side’s disappointment at losing the final of the Women’s World T20 will be short-lived, with the 50-over Women’s World Cup taking place in February and England looking to defend their title.England cruised through four matches in Sri Lanka before being beaten by the holders, Australia, but will head to India as favourites for a fourth World Cup. Outside of the “lottery” of T20, Lane enthused about his side’s ability to prove they are the best team – something he felt 50-over cricket rewards.”The best side is who can put runs on the board, defend those totals, and get people out. Rather than just deliver a short game plan, to be able to hold it for three hours when you’re bowling, three hours when you bat,” Lane told the ECB website. “T20 can be a bit of a lottery – I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost the final – but the best side will win the 50-over World Cup.”We’re going to talk about scoring hundreds, crafting a spell, concentration in the field, holding your catches. I like 50-over cricket and I know the girls like 50-over cricket because the best players can put more of an impact on the result.”Rather than getting quick twenties, our key batters can go on and score hundreds and we have scored quite a few hundreds in our last few ODIs. Our best bowlers can get five wickets instead of just two or three.”England won six of eight ODIs in 2012, including a 3-0 series win in New Zealand, during which Sarah Taylor and Charlotte Edwards scored hundreds. They also beat India in a five-match series at home, coming back from 2-0 down. England then hosted T20 series against Pakistan and West Indies in preparation for the World T20.But having reacclimatised to the British autumn, England can turn their focus to the 50-over World Cup, with no fixtures scheduled before the tournament begins in India in February.”I’ve got full confidence in the squad we’ve selected in preparation for our winter training,” Lane added. “We’ve got 10 weeks of solid preparation ready for the World Cup, so we’ll be fine. We’ll switch our plans and preparation to that 50-over stuff and make sure we’re ready to go.”England Women will also return to the Test arena next year for the first time since January 2011, with the one-off Ashes Test – the sole remaining Test in the Women’s calendar. “This has come round quite quickly and we’ve been ready for this big year, if you like,” Lane said. “We’ve got the Ashes next summer, so it’s all come at once, but that’s the best way for us. We’ve got multi-skilled cricketers who can play all three formats of the game, so we’re looking forward to that challenge.”

Aston Villa are eyeing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey and are said to be preparing an offer for the 23-year-old [Daily Mail].

Enjoying a fantastic 2020/21 campaign, the Jamaican registered 26 goal contributions in 40 appearances; 15 goals and 11 assists [Transfermarkt].

Setting the Bundesliga alight, Bailey could now have a decision to make on his future.

Villa are said to be readying an official approach for the wide-man, who is reportedly seen as being worth between £25 million to £30million [Daily Mail].

He is said to be seen as an attainable target for the Villains, who are looking to bolster their squad depth as Trezeguet recovers from injury.

As you can imagine, loads of Aston Villa diehards took to Twitter to rejoice at these latest developments.

Aston Villa FC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is what some supporters had to say about the possibility of Bailey joining the club:

“A fantastic signing if true. Be keen to see us looking to other areas of the pitch too, particularly defensive midfielder #avfc”

Credit: @mrthompson81″What a signing this would be”Credit: @GW_94″Scenes”Credit: @scottwilson777″Watkins Bailey Grealish Buendia That’s actually not fair”Credit: @HarryUTV”If this turns out to be credible then goddamn. Haven’t seen either of the writers’ Villa stuff before, but definitely wouldn’t complain.”Credit: @rad_nauseam”GIVE HIM TO MEEE”Credit: @catrinedwards18In other news, Aston Villa fans react to an official club anniversary.

اختار إيهاب جلال، المدير الفني لفريق مصر المقاصة، 20 لاعبًا للدخول في معسكر مغلق مساء اليوم بأحد فنادق القاهرة، استعدادا لمباراة النادي الأهلي.

يلتقي الأهلي نظيره مصر المقاصة، في الثامنة مساء السبت باستاد القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثامنة والعشرون من مسابقة الدوري المصري، والتي ستشهد تتويج الأحمر رسميًا حال تحقيق الفوز في اللقاء.

اقرأ ايضًا.. هل يحسم الأهلي لقب الدوري أمام المقاصة؟ تاريخ المواجهات يرجح كفة حامل اللقب

وضمت القائمة كلا من: محمود حمدي ومحمد كوكو وأحمد مودي ومحمد دبش وعصام صبحي وعاصم سعيد وأحمد محسن وحسني فتحي ومصطفى شبيطة وصلاح ريكو وميدو جابر وصلاح عاشور وعبد الله مجدي ومحمد توني وخالد أوتشو ومحمد إبراهيم وباولن فوافي وشميلس بيكلي وصلاح أمين وعمرو مرعي.

ويخوض فريق المقاصة مساء اليوم مرانه الختامي استعدادا لمباراة النادي الأهلي على الملعب الفرعي لاستاد الدفاع الجوي، وعقب المران ينتظم اللاعبون المختارون ضمن القائمة في المعسكر المغلق بأحد فنادق القاهرة حتى موعد المباراة.

[ad_pod ]Liverpool’s first-choice left-back, captain of the Scotland national team and a Champions League finalist, but it hasn’t always been this easy for Andrew Robertson. Released by Celtic as a 15-year-old, the energetic full-back ended up at Queens Park, whereÂGardner Speirs, who now oversees the academy at the Tartan Army’s Hampton Park, was taken aback by a teenage Robertson.“We were due to go down to Largs on the Clyde coast to play a couple of matches inside four days but we didn’t have a left-back,†Speirs said. “Andrew was just finishing a season with the under-17s, so we took him and that’s how it happened.“Andy’s response was to say, ‘I’ll prove you wrong.’ He played in the first warm-up game at Largs and I don’t think he went out of the team again until he left us.”It is this attitude that has endeared him to the Liverpool supporters after some had written him off before his career on Merseyside had even begun.

Some of the Anfield faithful wanted a marquee name, but in truth, almost anyone would’ve been an upgrade on Alberto Moreno, so Robertson had a chance to make the left-back position his own.

But Robertson would’ve been somewhat of a hit even if he never set foot on the hallowed turf of Anfield, as a result of his selfless charity work and commitment to the community around him – that is an ethos that Liverpool hold dear to them, and one that Robertson does too.

“He might be from Glasgow originally, but everything about him screams Liverpool”, said Jurgen Klopp, and luckily for the German and those associated with the club who aren’t as interested about his work off the pitch, the Scottish international is one hell of a footballer to boot.

Robertson currently has eight assists in all competitions, more than any other defender in Europe, and that tiny initial £8m spent on him back in the summer of 2017 is looking like small change – it could even be argued that the 24-year-old is probably worth five times that figure now if not more.

His relentless play up and down that left flank is hard not to cheer on, even if you aren’t a Liverpool fan.

One foray up the left flank and over to the right wing saw Robertson mount a one-man press against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 4-3 win at Anfield last season, a moment which drew cheers similar to those heard after a goal and almost saw the Reds score, but for the referee’s intervention.

“I am still tired just looking at Robertson. He makes 100-metre sprints every minute, absolutely incredible, and these are qualities,”Âsaid Jose Mourinho after his Manchester United side were humbled by three goals to one earlier in the season – Mourinho didn’t get much right during his time with the Red Devils, but that statement is spot on.

The scary thing about Robertson is that he has time on his side, time that he doesn’t even need given just how phenomenal he is right now. If there is an improved version of the hungry Scot waiting for us in the future, opposition forwards might as well not bother.

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Harry Winks insists Tottenham Hotspur have shown they cannot be written off this season.

The club remain in the Premier League title race, five points behind both Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the league, and face Leicester City on Sunday.

What’s the word?

Spurs have won their last three Premier League games, against Newcastle United, Watford and Fulham.

Each game has seen a late winner scored – Son Heung-Min netted the only goal of the game in the 83rd minute against the Magpies, Fernando Llorente headed home in the 87th minute to give Spurs a 2-1 victory over the Hornets and Winks himself scored in injury time to complete a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage.

And the England international believes the squad’s mentality is such that they can never be counted out.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can never be written off, that’s the most important thing.

“We’ve scored a lot of late goals and it shows how much we persevere in a match and that the manager’s instilled a never-say-die attitude in the lads, and we know the game doesn’t finish until the final whistle.

“If we continue to press the team and try to get the opposition on the back foot until the final minute, we know we’re more than capable of scoring. We’ve done that this season.”

Asked about the prospect of overhauling both City and Liverpool, Winks added:  “We’re more than capable of challenging. We’ve had some great results against big sides this year, but it’s a long way. There’s a lot of matches to go this season, and the table’s fluctuating all the time.

“One minute we’re top, then we’re third battling for fourth. If we keep winning our matches there’s no reason why we can’t, but all we can really do is focus on the next game ahead of us and winning all our matches. We’ll see where that gets us.”

Mentality is key

Winks has exactly the right attitude for a title fight.

Spurs have not known when they are beaten in recent weeks, and have won their last three games without the goalscoring talents of captain Harry Kane.

Dele Alli has also been injured for the last two league encounters but the resilience shown by Pochettino’s men has proved that they are not about to concede the title just yet.

Of course, a win over Leicester is vital if they are to stay in the race – they may have to win every game between now and the end of the season if they are to be champions – but Winks has embodied the desire that all fans want to see from their players.

Spurs may not win the title, but they are certainly going to go down fighting if they don’t.

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Arsenal fell to a 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night in an FA cup fourth round clash.

The Gunners have been dumped out of the cup, and also saw centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis forced off the pitch with injuries. In his post-match press conference (arsenal.com), Unai Emery could not be certain as to the extent of these injuries, but both could certainly be absent for Tuesday’s Premier League meeting with Cardiff City.

If Sokratis and Koscielny are to be on the treatment table with fellow defenders Rob Holding (arsenal.com) and Hector Bellerin (Sky Sports), then Emery will have to devise a plan for protecting his weakened rearguard.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accesory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

On the chalkboard

Arsenal need to pack their midfield in deep areas to ensure they win the battle against Cardiff in the middle of the park. In doing so, they shall also offer their defence a much-needed layer of protection.

Emery employed this tactic for his side’s recent 2-0 triumph over Chelsea. On that occasion, he fielded a central trio of Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. The same three ought to be called on again to reprise this system against the Bluebirds.

Emery has taken stick for setting his side up too defensively at times this season, and fans may not want to see three defensive midfielders start at home against a side locked in a relegation battle, but the boss simply must protect whatever makeshift back four he selects.

Maintaining an edge

Packing the midfield does mean that Arsenal lose a man from their attack. However, Emery ought to be able to place his faith in the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette to be able to find a way through Cardiff anyway.

What’s more, playing with three deep midfielders, all offering cover for any vacated spaces at the back, gives the Gunners’ full-backs license to push forward into attacking areas with security. Sead Kolasinac can then be effective for Arsenal in the final third, ensuring that Emery’s side maintain their attacking edge despite being an attacker short.