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Aston Villa have shown that they are no strangers to splashing the cash since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2019.

Under Dean Smith, Villa spent £20m to sign Tyrone Mings to Villa Park and the season after, brought Ollie Watkins to the Midlands, spending over £30m to secure their man and boost their survival hopes.

One transfer that perhaps went slightly under the radar compared to the bigger buys was that of Douglas Luiz from Manchester City. Luiz only cost the newly promoted side £15m and it proved to be a very successful transfer.

Luiz has played 105 matches for the side, scoring four and assisting eight times, a decent return for a defensive midfielder.

He excelled in his first season, gelling into the club well as Villa retained their Premier League status. This prompted the Athletic’s Greg Evans to describe him as an “absolute star” following a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in July 2020. Going as far as to say, “he could have played in that Man Utd team.”

High praise indeed for the Brazilian and it was justified, especially in his first two campaigns, this season has been tougher, however.

The 23-year-old had 1.1 shots per game during his first season compared to just 0.8 for this campaign. Last season saw him win 1.3 aerial duels compared to just 0.8 this year, however, his pass success percentage has risen subsequently every season, to a high of 86.3% as Villa has struggled at times under Steven Gerrard.

There is no doubt that Luiz is a class player, and this is reflected in his market value. This was only £9m in September 2019 at Villa Park, but it has now risen to a whopping £31.5m as of December 2021.

Gerrard could make a tidy profit on the midfielder if he is aiming to bring in his own players, but it might be wise to keep him, he has a bright future that’s for sure.

AND in other news, “Villa are…” – Insider drops exciting behind-scenes claim that’ll leave fans ecstatic

Adam Jones has been left stunned by what Mason Mount did which saw him get a yellow card for Chelsea against Everton in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Mount cautioned

The 23-year-old found himself cautioned by the referee after he appeared to push Yerry Mina to the ground after a collision between the two players in the first half.

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This sparked a brawl between both teams on the pitch, as things started to get a little heated at Goodison Park.

The Latest: Jones reacts

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones gave his instant reaction to Mount’s antics, claiming that it was ‘very strange’ and ‘unnecessary’ from the England international.

In response to the incident, he tweeted: “Very strange one, that. Looked very off-the-ball and unnecessary.”

The Verdict: Unnecessary

As Jones rightfully points out, Mount pushing Mina back to the ground after their collision was completely unnecessary, and almost warranted the yellow card more than his actual challenge.

Still, the Colombia international did not let that faze him, as Everton got to half-time on level terms, before Richarlison gave them an early lead in the second half.

Nonetheless, the important thing was that Mina did not react to Mount’s antics, instead keeping his cool as the Toffees fought for all three points to close the gap on both Leeds United and Burnley.

In other news, find out what big Everton injury blow has now emerged

James Pearce firmly believes that Liverpool will look to bring in midfield reinforcements during the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Liverpool’s midfield ageing

Jurgen Klopp has put together a remarkable Reds team this season, one which still has a mathematical chance of winning an unprecedented quadruple in the coming weeks.

While Liverpool’s midfield is currently littered with brilliance, from Fabinho to Thiago, it is also the area of their squad which perhaps requires the most immediate attention.

James Milner (36), Jordan Henderson (31) and Thiago (31) are all into the latter part of their respective careers, while the likes of Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turn 29 later this year.

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The Latest: Pearce expects summer signing

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Saturday, Pearce claimed that midfield additions would be made at Anfield this summer, on top of the imminent arrival of Fabio Carvalho.

When asked by a reader about possible Liverpool signings in the summer, the journalist replied:

“I’m not aware of interest in De Jong. However, I do expect LFC to reinforce that midfield area of the squad. Obviously, Carvalho is coming in. He will officially become a LFC player on July 1. There is certainly interest in Tchouameni. Big talent. But price tag could be an issue and Real Madrid also very keen. Be interesting to see what happens with that one.”

The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Long-term planning is the key under Klopp, ensuring that Liverpool don’t rest on their laurels, which is precisely why fresh legs are needed in midfield.

Can’t get enough Liverpool football content? Watch Liverpool FC live streams and other videos at StreamFootball.tv.

While the Reds have still excelled in that area this season, there will come a point where changes will need to be made in order for multiple players not to go past their peak together.

Monaco starlet Aurelien Tchouameni appears to be Liverpool’s main transfer target in midfield, judging by Pearce’s reply above, and he would tick so many boxes. The 22-year-old would be a long-term asset at Anfield and is capable of thriving in both a number six and a number eight role.

Signing the Frenchman would feel significant – he enjoyed a 90.9% pass completion rate for his nation in their World Cup qualifying campaign – potentially taking the Reds up yet another gear if they can lure him to Merseyside.

In other news, Liverpool want to offer one player a new contract. Find out who it is here.

Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Crystal Palace against ten-man Watford, which ultimately saw the Hornets relegated from the Premier League this afternoon.

Patrick Vieira’s men dominated the match, finishing with 68% possession whilst also having 15 shots on goal, and seven on target, compared to Watford’s six (one on target).

The victory also saw Palace climb into the top half of the table, although Aston Villa are just one point behind with a game in hand.

Although it wasn’t the prettiest of victories, it was another three points on the board nonetheless for the Eagles. However, another below-par display from Conor Gallagher will certainly be alarming.

Gallagher was poor for Palace again

The Chelsea loanee’s future still hangs in the balance, with it unclear as to whether or not the 22-year-old will return to south London next season, whether that be on another loan or permanently.

However, the midfielder was perhaps Palace’s worst player against Watford with a 6.6/10 match rating from Sofascore, the lowest out of any of his fellow starters.

Moreover, the Englishman lost 63% of his duels whilst also completing just 15 passes. With just 33 touches during his 63-minute spell on the pitch, Gallagher also lost the ball on 14 occasions, amounting to an average of losing possession once every 2.4 touches.

The only positive contribution was a 100% long ball accuracy, although just one was attempted.

This isn’t the first time the midfielder has been off-colour lately, with the 22-year-old averaging a Sofascore match rating of just 6.52 in his last five outings for Vieira’s side, with two of those being 6.3 and 6.2 respectively.

On the whole, Gallagher’s loan from Chelsea has been a major success, with the Englishman scoring eight goals and registering five assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.

However, Palace fans may be concerned that a recent dip in form could suggest a lack of interest in proceedings at Selhurst Park, with the midfielder perhaps assuming that he will be part of Chelsea’s plans next term.

Regardless, it was another afternoon where Vieira was let down by the 22-year-old.

AND in other news: Vieira may finally axe “inevitable” 142-goal Palace dynamo as twist emerges

After equalising early on, Wolverhampton Wanderers would have been thinking that today was the day to beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side having not done so since 2019.

The first half was promising for Lage’s side, despite going into half time 3-1 down, but ultimately they were defeated brutally 5-1.

Their attacking transitions at times were flawless and were demonstrative of Wolves’ slightly tweaked direct playing style in the 3-5-2 system.

There was a clear identity to their play and it hurt Guardiola’s side at times.

Though City, like true champions, felt their way back into the game whenever it looked as though the Old Gold were coming into their own, and nullified their opponents, restricting them to just seven shots in the entire game with 0 big chances.

The inclusion of Chiquinho was a positive surprise, and his directness was Wolves’ biggest threat at times. Though his involvement in the starting XI meant that he took Jonny’s spot as a right wing-back, with the Spaniard shifting into right centre-back.

At 5 foot 9, it was always a risk from Wolves to deploy Jonny as a centre-back, and although they conceded five, you can understand the thinking – with Manchester City happy to keep the ball on the ground, rather than through high crosses into the box for a target man (until next season at least with Haaland).

Although it was most certainly a Kevin De Bruyne masterclass, having scored his first hat-trick with an additional goal to follow, two players stood out for all the wrong reasons for Wolves.

Those players were Jose Sá and Willy Boly, with the latter having been described as “terrible” for his defensive performances previous.

With a FotMob rating of 4.4, courtesy of his 0/5 long accurate long balls, 0/1 tackles won, 1 clearance, 1 interception, 1/3 ground duels won and 0/1 aerial duels won – it’s safe to say that Boly had a defensive disasterclass against City – who ran absolute riot at Molineux.

In the second half, the majority of City’s overloads came down their right hand side, with Boly clearly targeted as a weak point of the Wolves defence.

Being a natural right footer, the Frenchman looked awkward at left centre-back in the Old Gold back-three and lost the ball every 4.9 touches, to the point where the question must be posed as to why Boly was deployed on the left over Toti Gomes – who is a natural left-footer and could be a viable replacement for the potentially departing Romain Saiss for next season.

In other news: Lage can unearth Wolves’ new Jota in “magic” £2m-rated talent who has “explosiveness” 

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is ‘very happy’ as reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano shares an exciting behind-the-scenes update.

The Lowdown: Conte wants backing…

Spurs’ head coach, who guide the Premier League top-four chasers to a previously unthinkable Champions League finish, will reportedly meet with both chairman Daniel Levy and transfer chief Fabio Paratici to outline his summer transfer plans.

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As many as six major signings are on his mind, including a reserve goalkeeper, right-wing-back, central defender, two midfielders and a forward, according to The Telegraph.

The Italian wants backing ahead of his first full season in charge, and according to Romano, they are set to make two star loans permanent on Conte’s behalf.

The Latest: Romano shares exciting update…

The reliable reporter claims Spurs’ boss is ‘very happy’ with both Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero who have both starred under his tutelage.

As such, Spurs ‘will invest’ around €80 million (£68m) in total to seal their signings indefinitely.

Romano explained:

“Tottenham will sign both Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero on a permanent deal. Spurs will invest around €80m total fee for two players who are considered key part of the project for present and future. #THFC Antonio Conte’s also very happy with Romero and Kulusevski.”

The Verdict: Huge…

Both men have been shining under Conte and have played big roles in Tottenham’s chase for the top four.

Romero has been a colossal presence in the Spurs back three while Kulusevski, who joined on loan from Juventus in January, has formed a deadly understanding with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min as part of the Lilywhites front three.

In a major statement of intent, the north Londoners securing both men is a fine way to show Conte they’re serious about matching his ambition.

In other news: Conte green-lights Spurs move as he now gives ‘unbelievable signing’ absolute priority, find out more here.

Zafar Gohar’s 3 for 7 then adds to hosts’ woes in Cardiff

ECB Reporters' Network14-Sep-2021Gloucestershire went through the 400 barrier for the first time this season to put hosts Glamorgan under severe pressure as they established a first-innings lead of 110 runs on day three of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division 2 clash at Sophia Gardens.Then they ripped through the home side’s top order to put themselves on course for a seventh first-class win of the summer. Having reached 39 without loss, Glamorgan ended on 57 for 6 when the players went off for bad light at 5.50pm – still 53 runs behind going into the final day.Resuming on 224 for 4, the visitors picked up maximum batting points on a day when their lower order came up trumps with 195 runs for the last five wickets. Leading the way was Tom Price, whose 71 included nine fours and not only took his team past Glamorgan’s first-innings total but steered them to 419 all out to leave the home side with a mountain to climb.Despite the overnight rain, the game started on time at 10.30am and Glamorgan went one better than their visitors by bagging a wicket with the second ball of the day. Andrew Salter had gone on the third ball of the previous morning and David Lloyd removed the dangerous Graeme van Buuren with his second ball of the session.Van Buuren failed to add to his overnight score of 65 and departed lbw having added 40 for the fifth wicket with Championship debutant Ben Wells. Glamorgan rattled through the nine overs they needed to complete to get to the new ball and then called up Michael Hogan and Timm van der Gugten to turn up the pressure.Two wickets fell in their first seven overs as Wells was caught at second slip by David Lloyd for an impressive 40 and Zafar Gohar became home skipper Chris Cooke’s third victim behind the stumps off Hogan for 5. That meant Gloucestershire had added 47 runs and lost three wickets in the first hour to cut the deficit to 38.Ben Charlesworth steered the visitors to the 300 mark in the 96th over and a four from Price off Andrew Salter in the 98th over took Gloucestershire into the lead. Charlesworth had hit six boundaries in his lively 44 before he was castled by Ruaidhri Smith to make it 310 for 8.By lunch the lead was seven runs, but an enterprising 34 from David Payne, which included a straight six and three fours, in a ninth wicket stand of 69 with Price edged Gloucestershire into a handy lead. By the time he was the last man out in the 141st over, Price had raced past his 50 (off 127 balls) and reached 71 when he was trapped lbw by Hogan.Hamish Rutherford and David Lloyd had enjoyed an opening partnership of 136 in the first innings and once again started strongly. Rutherford hit the first ball to the boundary and Lloyd did the same on the penultimate ball of the seventh over to take the score to 39.Then Payne enticed him to play at a ball that left him outside off stump and Miles Hammond took the catch at first slip. Chris Dent brought his spinner, Zafar, into the attack for the next over and he had Rutherford caught by Hammond with the next ball to make it 39 for 2.Zafar then removed Nick Selman and Kiran Carlson for ducks to reduce the home side to 46 for 4 as the left-arm spinner made it 3 for 3 in his opening four overs. Worse was to follow when Ryan Higgins uprooted Eddie Byrom’s off stump for eight in the 15th over and skipper Chris Cooke went for just six runs.

Both players will join Sri Lanka’s camp ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup qualifiers

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2021Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga have been released from the IPL bio-bubble to join the Sri Lanka team ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup qualifiers, which starts on October 17. As a result, the duo will miss Royal Challengers’ eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday night.In an official announcement on Twitter, Royal Challengers said: “We wish both of them the best & thank them for their professionalism & hard work during #IPL2021.”Both Hasaranga and Chameera were signed as replacements ahead of the UAE leg of this season. Hasaranga played just two matches and didn’t pick up a wicket while Chameera didn’t make the starting XI at all.Sri Lanka are part of Group A, which also includes Netherlands, Namibia and Ireland, for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Their campaign begins against Namibia on October 18 in Abu Dhabi.

England fly out to Oman with half of World Cup squad already in situ at the IPL

Matt Roller04-Oct-2021When England were beaten by West Indies in the final of the 2016 World T20, Eoin Morgan was the only player in their side who had made an appearance in the IPL. Five years later, the squad members departing the UK for the World Cup will hardly fill two rows on the plane between them, with eight of the 15 already in the UAE with their respective franchises.It is a measure of the ECB’s shift in attitude towards the tournament in the last half-decade, a U-turn which would make any government wince. Four of the seven squad members flying out on Monday night (Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan and Chris Woakes) withdrew from their IPL deals ahead of a gruelling winter and the other three (Tymal Mills, David Willey and Mark Wood) have all played in it previously; James Vince and Liam Dawson, both travelling reserves, are the only exceptions. If England go one better than they did five years ago, their involvement in the world’s premier domestic competition will be justifiably be hailed as a major factor.That is not to say that things have been going smoothly for England’s players in the desert. Sam Billings and Chris Jordan are yet to get on the pitch, Sam Curran has been in and out of Chennai Super Kings’ side, Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid have both been dropped and Eoin Morgan is clinging onto his role as Kolkata Knight Riders captain after a lean run with the bat. Even Moeen Ali and Jason Roy, the two guaranteed starters, have not found things easy. England’s ultra-positive batting has served them well on flat pitches around the world in recent years but their players’ struggles raise the question as to whether it will be sustainable if surfaces are slow and tired.Mills, returning to the squad after an absence of four-and-a-half years on the back of his performances for Sussex and Southern Brave this summer, has been a keen observer from afar – when childcare duties have allowed, at least. He revealed to ESPNcricinfo last month that “four or five teams” had been interested in signing him as a replacement for the UAE leg, but he had not registered for the auction earlier this year due to a stress fracture which forced him to wear a back brace for three months over the winter, rendering him ineligibile.Related

• T20 World Cup Covid-19 FAQs: ten-day isolation for positive tests, fans to wear masks

• Liam Livingstone: 'I want to keep getting better, hit more sixes, hit the ball further'

• Mills makes England's T20 World Cup squad, no return for Stokes

• Slow Death back in the Fast Lane: How Tymal Mills rose again

• Oman Cricket chairman: 'No one can tell us we played one World Cup and vanished'

“One of our advantages is that we’ve got half the squad playing in the IPL at the moment,” Mills said on Monday, shortly before flying to Oman for a short, soft quarantine and training camp which precedes the whole squad’s arrival in Dubai next Saturday. “I’m sure we’ll come out of that with a bunch of information, and the analyst [Nathan Leamon] is out there with KKR. We’ll be well-prepped and well-versed by the time we get together.”I’m sure we’ll be full of confidence and back ourselves to beat any team. The pitches look like they’ve been quite sluggish, particularly in the day games. It looks like they’re trying – particularly in Dubai – to keep the pitches with quite a bit of grass on to keep them fresh by the time the World Cup starts. We’ve got a very strong, very adaptable squad and most of the guys have played a lot of cricket in that area, whether it’s IPL, PSL or internationally.”The continued uncertainty over this winter’s Ashes means that some squad members – Bairstow, Buttler, Malan, Woakes and Wood among them – and support staff are in the dark as to whether they will be away for six weeks or three-and-a-half months when they leave on Monday evening, while the enlarged squad for the Australia tour is likely to be selected from Oman via Zoom if the ECB board gives the green light later this week. In unprecedented circumstances, England’s players will cling to any sense of familiarity they can garner from the Emirates.Tymal Mills helped get Sussex to Blast Finals Day and picked up a winner’s medal in the Hundred with Southern Brave•PA Images/Getty

Mills himself is no different: he has bowled more T20 overs in Dubai than any other ground in the world barring Hove, and became accustomed to Sharjah’s short boundaries during an improbable stint at Kandahar Knights in the Afghanistan Premier League in late 2018. Coincidentally, it was in Dubai last winter, during the gladiator-style “Ultimate Kricket Challenge”, that Morgan told Mills his name still came up in England selection meetings; less than 12 months later, he is back amongst it.”I’ve played in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai a lot, so they’re three grounds I’m comfortable with,” he said. “It’s nice to be going to places that I know and grounds I have a decent record at but ultimately previous records don’t really mean an awful lot. This will be the highest level of competition I’ve played at, playing against international teams in every game and some of the best players in the world. I’m looking forward to seeing how I go against them, if I get a go.”I’m a big believer in playing to your strengths. I’m going to get out there and do what I’ve been doing for the last few years, trying to be smart about it. You make tweaks here and there and if there’s something blatantly obvious I need to alter with regards to ground dimensions or a particular batter, I’ll do that, but I’m going to come hard in the Powerplay and then mix it up throughout the middle and end. We’ll see where we get to.”

“He’s left a legacy within this team which will last not only this generation but generations to come.”

Deivarayan Muthu10-Nov-2021Matthew Hayden, the Pakistan batting coach, has singled out the late Dean Jones for special praise, on the eve of the second semi-final between Australia and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai. Jones, the hero of Australia’s tied Test against India in Chennai, arguably made a bigger impact on one-day cricket, with his lively batting helping Australia to their first World Cup victory in 1987.After ending his playing career, Jones went onto become a commentator and coach. He was a particularly prominent figure in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he would often be spotted writing notes in his famous red book.Related

• Hayden, Philander appointed Pakistan coaches for T20 World Cup

• Dean Jones, ODI batting pioneer, dies aged 59

Jones was in charge of Islamabad United when they secured the PSL titles in 2016 and 2018. He then took over as Karachi Kings’ head coach for the fifth season of the tournament that was halted before the playoffs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jones, however, died suddenly after a heart attack in September 2020, when he was a commentator in India for the IPL.”I want to make a special mention of my former team-mate and colleague and that is Dean Jones,” Hayden said during a virtual media interaction. “He gave a lot of himself to Cricket Australia but also a lot of himself to Pakistan cricket. His closing words to me I can hear in my ears: ‘These are my boys and this is something I’m so passionate about’.”He was just beautifully connected to Pakistan cricket and may he rest in peace now, knowing the fact that he’s left a legacy within this team which will last not only this generation but generations to come. If I can add value to those closing comments from Deano, that will be my greatest honour.”Although Hayden was only roped in for this T20 World Cup in the UAE, he has seen enough promise in the main team – and the reserves – that will serve Pakistan cricket well in the future.”It is obvious that I’ve been with the team [for] a very short time, which has meant it has been really important to have a heart connect with the players, the administrators and also the management team,” Hayden said. “I felt that has been achieved and I felt in many ways that was my individual and personal aim throughout throughout this tournament to get a sense of the commitment of all the layers within the game and Pakistan in Pakistan. And understand one of the most beautiful things and that is that raw talent and talent is there in abundance for Pakistan cricket. And [with] right leadership and mentoring and guide, this side has got possibilities, as it has shown in five matches so far, to take on anyone.”Hayden also likened the immense pressure surrounding the India-Pakistan clash to the Ashes and credited the Pakistan side for pulling off a tone-setting victory against India in their tournament opener.”The highlight and the obvious eye will go to the first game that we played here in Dubai, where we are playing tomorrow night,” he said. “Just how under immense pressure…pressure that I’ve never understood till I was inside the dressing room and only comparable of course to England-Australia Ashes series. Just how these boys wonderfully handled [the situation] every calmly and confidently – their approach to playing such a huge match.”I think that game really set us up for what has been a really lovely four weeks of solid work, great commitment to training and great purpose in general and a wonderful heart connect to Islam and how spirituality has played its role within the Pakistan team as a great guide and tool for everyone to come together. Very optimistic [of Pakistan’s future] and I see wonderful potential.”