Christian Pulisic scored a goal and drew a red card against Slavia Prague as AC Milan seized a first-leg advantage in the Europa League.
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Put up for sale by Lai Guochuan, West Bromwich Albion are searching for a new owner, and perhaps one with the financial power to fund a potential Premier League return, having fallen into the depths of the Championship in recent years.
As things stand, the Baggies sit as low as 13th in the second tier, already 11 points adrift of the automatic promotion spot, and three points adrift of the play-off places. It doesn't look as though Carlos Corberan's side are on the verge of changing their fortunes, either, having failed to win in their last four games.
A fresh start in the form of a takeover could certainly help, and former Baggie turned BBC pundit Carlton Palmer has delivered his verdict.
With the season still in its early stages, there's still plenty of time for West Brom to make a promotion charge, especially if financially backed by new owners when the January transfer window swings open. Speaking about the latest rumblings around a takeover, Palmer told Football League World: "There are more talks ongoing about a new owner at WBA. This is vital this happens, and happens quickly.
“Guochuan Lai is looking to sell the club and would accept £50 million, which is significantly less than what he paid for the club at the time, £200 million. Apparently there are interested parties from the Middle East and the USA. WBA are hoping a deal can be concluded this year.
“They currently sit 13th in the Championship, drawing their last three games. The club is selling all of their best players in the summer to balance the books and not replacing them with anywhere near the same quality. It’s imperative the sale goes through quickly to give the club a chance of trying to get back to the Premier League sooner rather than later.”
The Baggies may not sell as quickly as Palmer hopes, however, given the club's £50m price-tag – which has been deemed too much by financial expert Kieran Maguire, who told Football Insider: “I think £50 million is aspirational rather than realistic. It shows that Guochuan Lai appears to be living in a fantasy world. The property assets are solid, but it’s not a high-value property area. If the club itself is not in a competitive position in the Championship by January, that’s going to make it more difficult to generate a figure of that value."
With that said, although The Daily Mail reported interest from the United States and the Middle East, it remains to be seen just who will be the new West Brom owner, and when the takeover will happen.
So far this season, West Brom have performed exactly how you'd expect a side in their position to perform, picking up ten points. Amid the constant talk about a potential takeover, Corberan will just hope to get his side focused and back to winning ways as soon as possible, having drawn three straight matches ahead of Saturday's difficult trip to Preston.
Chelsea have lost their third consecutive game, losing 2-1 against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Blues took a 1-0 lead through Enzo Fernández, but it was a game of two halves as Villa scored two second-half goals through Marco Asensio, taking all three points on the day.
Enzo Maresca made plenty of tactical tweaks for this game, bringing Reece James into a more permanent defensive midfield role, which allowed Malo Gusto to overlap from right back and Cole Palmer to drift from the right wing.
The Blues held 48% of the ball, but still managed to take more shots than Villa (15). However, the Villans did generate more xG with 2.56, compared to Chelsea’s 2.12 xG, with Unai Emery’s side also creating three “big chances” compared to Chelsea’s two.
So what exactly went wrong in the game, with such a good first half performance, what were the key differences in the second half?
Filip Jorgensen made a crucial error when the Blues were still tied 1-1 with the Villans in the 89th minute, spilling a well-struck volley into his own net, gifting Asensio with his second goal of the game.
The Danish keeper made four saves in the game, but, of course, did have a costly late error which turned one point into zero for the away side. Jorgensen also had a 61% passing accuracy, misplacing nine of his 11 long balls attempted in the game.
The young stopper has been the first-choice in recent weeks, in place of Robert Sanchez – who has made five errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season – although having also shipped three at the Amex last time out, he’s hardly taking his chance with both hands.
But Jorgensen wasn’t the only player to have a poor performance for the Blues, as another individual was rated even worse by The Standard, earning himself a 4/10 match rating.
Christopher Nkunku has been playing out of position for much of the season. Despite being a more natural attacking midfielder, the Frenchman has had to sacrifice his best position to Cole Palmer, which has seen Nkunku playing as a striker or left-winger.
|
Christopher Nkunku vs Aston Villa performance |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Nkunku |
|
Minutes |
76 |
|
Touches |
44 |
|
Accurate Passes |
23/23 |
|
Key Passes |
2 |
|
Shots |
1 |
|
Successful Dribbles |
1/4 |
|
Ground Duels Won |
6/13 |
|
Tackles |
3 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
|
Stats taken from Sofascore |
|
Despite having 100% passing accuracy in the game, making two key passes and even putting in a shift off the ball, winning six ground duels, making three tackles and two interceptions, Nkunku wasn’t involved enough on the attacking end, often struggling to get himself in the game out on the left wing.
The few times he did receive the ball, he often had to check back inside, slowing Chelsea’s momentum and allowing Villa to regroup defensively. It doesn’t quite seem to be clicking between Nkunku and Palmer, who often prefer to operate in the same areas.
With Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and even Marc Guiu all missing from the Chelsea front line, Nkunku may be afforded a few more chances, but he is surely operating on borrowed time now, as Chelsea fans’ patience is running thin with the French star.
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Manchester United and Erik ten Hag have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their massive FA Cup tie against Liverpool.
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Chelsea have now held talks in London to sign a “seriously impressive” Bayern Munich player, who is also being targeted by Manchester City.
Enzo Maresca appeared to hit out at the board after the 3-0 victory against Everton at the weekend, with the manager saying: “The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us.”
It is unclear exactly what the Italian was alluding to, given that he refused to expand on his comments any further, but Danny Murphy has suggested the 45-year-old needs to be cautious, saying: “He’s got to be careful. I think you have to realise with the owners and club you are working for, he’s been given an amazing opportunity to manage a massive football club after only managing Leicester.”
One thing that’s for certain is Maresca has been backed in the transfer market, with BlueCo spending heavily to improve the squad in the summer, and with the January transfer window edging closer, more targets are being identified.
Under BlueCo ownership, there has been a heavy focus on bringing in younger players, and the west Londoners are now leading the race to sign Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo, while they are also keen on a Bayern Munich starlet.
That is according to a report from Football London, which states Chelsea recently held talks with the father of Cassiano Kiala in London, despite Brexit regulations forbidding them from signing the 16-year-old until he turns 18.
Manchester City are also interested in signing Kiala, who is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world, with both clubs looking to form a relationship with the Bayern Munich ace, before potentially making a move when he’s older.
The teenager has been training with the first team since the tail end of the 2024-25 campaign, and he has certainly impressed teammate Jonathan Tah, who said: “He’s fast, good with the ball, and brave. He’s a top-class centre-back.”
Tah is not the only person who has taken a liking to the defender, with scout Antonio Mango providing an overview of his key strengths on X last month.
Despite his age, the youngster has already started to make it into some of Bayern’s match-day squads, appearing on the bench in five Bundesliga matches this season, which is no mean feat at just 16.
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It remains to be seen whether Kiala is able to make the step-up to first-team level, but he is certainly exhibiting promising signs, and it is promising news that Chelsea have now opened talks.
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised for his performance and his behaviour in Tuesday's defeat to Slovenia.
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Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement has a tough job on his hands after taking over from Michael Beale, and he will need to hit the ground running in order to impress the Ibrox faithful.
The current crop of players have not been good enough so far this season, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages while slipping seven points behind Celtic in the Premiership table.
The Belgian coach will have his own ideas and processes on how to bring the Gers back to the summit of Scottish football and this will include getting a tune out of the current crop of players, while thinking about the future.
There are five players out of contract in 2024, and they will be keen on showing the new boss their talents in order to secure an extension. John Lundstram is one of those five and could this be his final season at Ibrox?
The former Sheffield United midfielder is into his third season with the Light Blues, yet he only has a Scottish Cup winners medal to show for it.
Across the squad this term, Lundstram ranks fifth for accurate passes per game (61) while also ranking eighth for key passes per game (one), seventh for tackles per game (1.3) and fourth for interceptions (1.3), suggesting he has not exactly been a standout so far this season as other players have outperformed him.
Clement may look to give every player a clean slate and this could benefit everyone, especially the summer signings. With less than a year to go on his current deal, however, might Lundstram be looking over his shoulder as there is plenty of young talent emerging through the academy.
Cole McKinnon is one of the players knocking on the door with regard to securing regular minutes in the first team, and he could turn into an ideal heir for the Englishman.
The youngster has already featured for the senior side, playing against Hearts on the final day of the 2021/22 season, even scoring a debut goal and the future looked bright for the teenage starlet.
Ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, the midfielder was sent out on loan to Partick Thistle in order to gain regular minutes at a club playing in one of the most challenging leagues in the country, and it may have helped to improve his game.
Before he joined, journalist Jordan Campbell praised the teenager, saying: “Understand Rangers midfielder Cole McKinnon, who signed a new three-year deal yesterday, is expected to join Partick Thistle on loan.
“The 19-year-old is highly rated at Ibrox and scored in the final league game of last season. Goes box-to-box and has a knack of getting a goal.”
Although predominately featuring in the centre of midfield, McKinnon was able to burst forward often from the middle of the pitch and create chances for others, while also scoring the odd goal himself.
He finished last season having scored three goals and registered three assists across 31 matches and while Partick failed to get promoted, the Scot impressed. Meanwhile, Lundstram has zero goals or assists in the Premiership this term.
Indeed, the 20-year-old whiz has made the matchday squad on five occasions this season, including both Europa League ties, and surely he will get his opportunity to shine under the new manager in the coming months.
Lundstram turns 30 in February and while this is still relatively young for the modern player, he certainly is not in his peak years anymore.
This could provide McKinnon, who has showcased his ability to chip in with goals and assists from a central midfield position, an opportunity to take over as the former Sheffield United star's heir at Ibrox.
The summer transfer window marked a poignant moment for those at Tottenham Hotspur, as the curtain came down on Harry Kane's stellar stint at N17 – the England skipper sealing a move to Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich having had just a year to run on his contract in north London.
That high-profile departure had come just under ten years on from Spurs losing another sparkling talisman to a historic, European giant following Gareth Bale's £85m switch to Real Madrid, with chairman Daniel Levy sanctioning that sale on deadline day in 2013.
While it was not long after the Welshman's exit that things began to click under Mauricio Pochettino – as that man Kane emerged onto the scene in 2014/15 – there will be Lilywhites supporters pondering whether 'success' could have been achieved earlier had the now-retired speedster not been allowed to move to the Bernabeu a decade ago.
Could Andre Villas-Boas have remained in the job for a longer stint? Could the north Londoners have begun to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea at the summit?
Off the back of a 2012/13 season that saw Bale register 40 goals and assists in all competitions, it is easy to contemplate whether the former Southampton could have kicked on even further in English football and helped to end the club's lengthy wait for silverware.
One possible certainty had the Cardiff native stayed put that summer is that Levy is unlikely to have sanctioned a £105m spend on seven new faces in that same window, prior to Bale's exit, with those additions potentially having been signed in the knowledge that the forward was to depart.
With that in mind, here's a look at how Villas-Boas' side could have lined up in 2013/14, had Bale remained in place and the majority of that infamous 'magnificent seven' not been signed…
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
The only player from this starting XI that remains on the books under Ange Postecoglou – albeit as a forgotten figure – Hugo Lloris had been snapped up the year prior to Bale's departure, joining on a £13m deal from Ligue 1 side, Lyon.
While the veteran Frenchman has since been cast aside in the present day after initially outlining his desire for a move earlier this year, on the whole, it has been a stunning, lengthy stay in England for the ex-skipper, having racked up 444 appearances in all competitions.
A World Cup winner at international level, in his pomp the 36-year-old was a truly "exceptional" talent – as hailed by ex-teammate Brad Friedel – with a figure of such quality likely having been deserving of a more trophy-laden spell in the Premier League.
Perhaps, with longer time spent watching Bale work his magic higher up the pitch, that goal could have been realised.
Right-back – Kyle Walker
The undisputed first-choice option at right-back prior to his £50m move to Manchester City in 2017, Kyle Walker had truly begun to click into gear during the 2012/13 season, with the former Sheffield United ace having provided five assists in 36 league games under Villas-Boas' watch.
That was an early example of the potent attacking threat that the Englishman can offer down the right flank, with it likely to have been exciting to witness the full-back on one side, with Bale on the other wing for a lengthier period of time – a duo that could wreak havoc on opposition defences.
While perhaps not at his peak in Lilywhite, the 33-year-old has since won trophies galore after blossoming into the "best right-back in the world" at the Etihad, as hailed by City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, having been part of the club's remarkable treble success last term.
Centre-back – Michael Dawson
Before the days of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, or even Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, it was Michael Dawson who was holding the fort at the heart of the defence alongside the latter man in 2013, with the former Nottingham Forest ace leading the side as captain at the time.
Having made 27 league outings in 2012/13, Dawson would ultimately go on to make a further 32 appearances in the top flight the following season, prior to joining Hull City in the summer of 2014.
A solid, but unglamorous performer at centre-back, the now-retired titan was perhaps the type of player that Spurs needed to upgrade on at the time, although even if this list were to include the club's infamous seven signings of 2013, eventual flop Vlad Chiriches was the only defensive addition of the lot.
Centre-back – Jan Vertonghen
The Belgian colossus would ultimately develop into "one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and in Europe" – in the words of Pochettino – having been a true "warrior" in the backline after signing from Ajax in 2012.
The classy, left-footer had helped to fill the void of former cult hero, Ledley King following the Englishman's retirement that summer, with Levy and co having found a new figure to build their defence around.
Part of the side that remarkably reached the Champions League final in 2019, Vertonghen eventually departed for Benfica a year later, with the 36-year-old now plying his trade in his homeland for Anderlecht.
Left-back – Danny Rose
The man who could have linked up with Bale down that left channel, Danny Rose had returned to White Hart Lane in the summer of 2013, having spent the previous campaign on loan at Sunderland in the top-tier.
Having struggled to force his way into the first-team set-up in north London despite his stunning debut goal against rivals Arsenal in 2008, it was in 2013/14 that the one-time Leeds man began to make a strong, consistent impression, registering one goal and four assists in 22 league games.
While the 33-year-old would endure a sour end to his time at the club after being cast aside by Jose Mourinho, he still contributed 38 goals and assists in 219 games across all fronts, ensuring he could have been the perfect attacking foil for Bale.
Centre-midfield – Mousa Dembele
Lauded as a "genius" by Pochettino, Mousa Dembele blossomed into a real world-beater following the appointment of the Argentine coach in 2014, with the current Chelsea boss having turned him into a 'special player' – as journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote at the time.
There is perhaps a world, however, in which Pochettino may never have ended up at N17, with the continued presence of Bale potentially set to have kept Villas-Boas in a job for far longer, as the Portuguese tactician was eventually sacked in December 2013 – just months after the Welshman's sale.
In the event of that scenario, would Dembele have become the beloved and influential figure that he developed into under Pochettino's watch?
Centre-midfield – Gylfi Sigurdsson
Options in the middle of midfield were particularly thin on the ground at Spurs in 2013, with that summer having seen the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker move onto pastures new, leaving Villas-Boas with little depth in that department.
In the event of Bale staying, the likes of Christian Eriksen (£11.5m) and Etienne Capoue (£9m) may never have ended up in north London, leaving Gylfi Sigurdsson as one of few options for the club to work with in that area of the squad.
The Icelandic playmaker, in reality, spent just two years with the Lilywhites prior to leaving for Swansea City in 2014, while he now plies his trade for Danish side Lyngby, after leaving Everton.
Centre-midfield – Paulinho
With Bale's sale recouping around £85m – and with Levy ultimately spending £105m – that difference of around £20m could have been what the typically frugal Levy would have been willing to spend had the wing wizard stayed put, ensuring that at least one of the 'magnificent seven' can feature in this lineup.
As the first signing of that summer on a £17m deal from Corinthians, it makes sense for Paulinho to be the sole inclusion in the side, particularly with the centre of the park one of the areas that desperately needed bolstering at the time.
Quite whether Bale staying could have altered the Brazilian's dour stint is difficult to predict, with the 6 foot enigma ultimately lasting just two seasons before departing for China, with eight goals and six assists under his belt in 64 games.
Right-wing – Aaron Lennon
Unsurprisingly, it was the attacking ranks which saw the most change following the exit of Bale, with the likes of Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado and Nacer Chadli having all been recruited in order to help pep up the front line.
Lamela, in particular, was meant to be the man to try and fill the shoes of the departing hero, although, in his absence, diminutive speedster Aaron Lennon would likely have remained the leading option in that role, having recorded four goals and eight assists in the league in 2012/13.
Just 18 months later, the 21-cap England international was moved on to Everton after falling by the wayside under the Pochettino regime, with things initially tumbling for the club after Bale's move to Madrid.
Centre-forward – Emmanuel Adebayor
The second-most expensive signing of that window was Roberto Soldado on a £26m deal, yet had the Spaniard not made the move from his homeland, the onus would have been placed on Emmanuel Adebayor to lead the line heading into 2013/14.
The former Arsenal and Manchester City man wouldn't have exactly been the most inspiring figurehead in attack, however, as he had scored just five league goals in 2012/13, despite previously recording 28 goal involvements in 33 league games the season prior.
Something of a polarising enigma, Adebayor did eventually go on to outscore Soldado – who was the "flop of the season" according to journalist Sam Tighe – with 11 league goals in 13/14, with the summer signing, by contrast, scoring just six top-flight goals as the goalscoring impact of Bale was not adequately filled.
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