Micky van de Ven defended Tottenham and Aston Villa's fracas at the end of their FA Cup third round tie, but sent a blunt warning to his Spurs team-mates that they cannot only show "this passion" when they are losing, having gone into half-time 2-0 down.
Tottenham Hotspur saw their injury crisis worsen after Brazil international Richarlison limped out of their FA Cup third-round tie with Aston Villa on Saturday evening. The north Londoners are now sweating on the fitness of the 28-year-old striker, who had to be replaced midway through the first half after picking up a suspected hamstring problem.
Aston Villa are considering a move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher as Unai Emery looks to strengthen his squad this month. Gallagher moved to the Liga giants last summer, and played an influential role for Diego Simeone's side in his debut campaign at the Wanda Metropolitano. However, the former Chelsea man has struggled for game time this season.
Mic'd Up: The former West Ham and Newcastle shot-stopper talked pressure of management ahead of an FA Cup slate, and why it was fair to let Wilfried Nancy go at Celtic
Aston Villa have struck a stunning agreement to sign 16-year-old Metz prodigy Brian Madjo in a deal worth a reported £10.4 million. The highly-coveted forward has arrived in the West Midlands to undergo his medical after club chiefs orchestrated a surprise move behind the scenes, beating top European rivals to secure the teenager on a long-term five-year contract.
Unai Emery has revealed Aston Villa signed Victor Lindelof on a free transfer following a glowing recommendation from his former Manchester United team-mate Juan Mata. Lindelof left United after an eight-year stay last summer and decided to stay in the Premier League with a switch to Emery's Villa, where he has become a key figure in defence.
Morgan Rogers has been warned he may lack the character required to succeed at Manchester United by club legend Dwight Yorke amid intense speculation linking the Aston Villa forward with a move to Old Trafford. The Treble winner suggests the 23-year-old is merely the "flavour of the month" and questions if he possesses the soul to handle the magnitude of representing the Red Devils.
Harvey Elliott looks like he has already played his last Aston Villa game as manager Unai Emery revealed the decision over his future was made months ago. The playmaker swapped Liverpool for the Villans on a season-long loan move but he has barely featured for the West Midlands outfit this season. The 22-year-old is now stuck between a rock and a hard place amid his uncertain future.
Premier League clubs face unusual kick-off times this weekend, as the New Year's schedule continues apace. Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Chelsea are all in action on Sunday, with 3pm kick-offs being aired live on television. GOAL can explain why the kick-off times are out of the ordinary as the year of 2026 gets underway.
Charlotte FC are monitoring Harvey Elliott's situation at Aston Villa, GOAL can confirm, although any talk of a move would first depend on decisions made by both Villa and Liverpool. The England international is struggling for minutes with Villa, and Charlotte are one of the few clubs in the world that can offer a reprieve in January.
Premier League clubs splashed out £3 billion ($4bn) on transfers in a record-breaking summer window, more than those in the Bundesliga, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A combined, with Liverpool accounting for £415m ($561m) of that eye-watering amount on the back of their 2024-25 title success under Arne Slot. Mega-money was also spent by the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Fulham the only three clubs to invest less than £50m ($67m) in strengthening their respective squads.
Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes has explained why he took to trolling Amadou Onana after helping the Gunners to a vital victory over Premier League title rivals Aston Villa. The Brazilian defender returned with a bang in that contest, as he opened the scoring in a 4-1 win, and took the opportunity afterwards to have some “fun” when delivering a copycat “pocket” celebration.
Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has delivered a blunt assessment of Arsenal’s misfiring frontman Viktor Gyokeres, arguing that either Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz should now be trusted as the club’s starting striker. The Swede arrived at the Emirates in the summer amid considerable fanfare, with Arsenal investing around £64 million ($86m) to secure a forward many believed could finally elevate them from contenders to champions. However, he has found the transition to English football more punishing than expected.
Emiliano Martínez was left seething over taunts from Arsenal supporters after Aston Villa suffered a 4-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium. Villa’s 11-match winning streak was emphatically ended by the Gunners, who ran out comfortable winners in Tuesday night's Premier League clash. While the result itself was damaging enough, the ugly scenes that followed in the tunnel compounded Villa's misery.
Unai Emery has explained why he did not shake Mikel Arteta's hand following Aston Villa's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday night. Villa made the trip to the Emirates on an 11-game winning run following their 2-1 victory at Chelsea on Saturday evening as the Villans sought to go level with the Gunners at the top of the Premier League table, but ended up being blown away by the hosts.
Arsenal have been dealt another devastating injury blow as midfielder Declan Rice is expected to miss Tuesday's Premier League title showdown with Aston Villa at the Emirates. The England international had been hopeful of playing in the crunch clash against Unai Emery's high-flying side but is set to miss out after sustaining a knee problem against Brighton last time out.
There have been so many compelling storylines to entertain the world so far this season as we reach the Premier League's halfway point. Liverpool's inexplicable collapse after winning the title and splurging over £400 million in the summer. Sunderland's remarkable return to the top flight after nearly a decade away. Whatever the heck is going on at Manchester United. And then we have Aston Villa.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has labelled former club Arsenal as Premier League title “favourites” ahead of Tuesday’s crunch clash between the two teams. The Spaniard has taken the opportunity to add plenty of extra spice to a mouth-watering fixture which will see Mikel Arteta’s leaders play host to the high-flying Villans at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal are "actively looking" to make signings in the January transfer window as they continue to struggle with injuries. The Gunners spent £267 million ($360m) on players this summer, but they may dip back into the market next month as Ben White, Kai Havertz, Riccardo Calafiori, and more, are all currently sidelined.
A lot of leagues and competitions take the festive period off but there was no break for players in England, Italy and Portugal over the weekend, while the action at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco resumed on December 26. The Premier League's top two, Arsenal and Manchester City, both picked up hard-fought wins on Saturday but Aston Villa remain very much in the title race after a massive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Unai Emery insists that his Aston Villa side are not Premier League title contenders despite their record-equalling run of 11 straight wins. Villa came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Chelsea on Saturday night to keep on the coattails of Premier League leaders Arsenal. Joao Pedro had flicked Reece James' corner past Emiliano Martinez to put the Blues ahead on home turf.
Chelsea captain Reece James has revealed who is to blame for Saturday's collapse to Aston Villa, a result that saw the Blues drop out of the the Premier League's top four. The west London side dominated proceedings in the opening 45 minutes and were duly rewarded for their perseverance shortly before the break after James' corner was inadvertently flicked in by Joao Pedro.
Chelsea have launched an internal probe and agreed to cooperate fully with the Premier League after Aston Villa complained that a bottle was thrown towards their bench, with reports suggesting that the projectile was launched from behind the Chelsea dugout. The flashpoint followed the Villains’ dramatic 2-1 comeback win, with CCTV footage now being reviewed to identify the culprit.
Ollie Watkins has hailed Aston Villa boss Unai Emery as a "tactical genius" following the forward's match-winning brace against Chelsea. The 29-year-old came off the bench shortly before the hour mark when the Blues were a goal to the good but two clinical finishes secured the visitors a 2-1 comeback win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. While he changed the game, Watkins admitted that Emery's tactical tweaks made it possible.
Aston Villa
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