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Aston Villa’s financial problems were well documented earlier this summer after the club missed out on promotion to the Premier League following their 1-0 loss to Fulham in the playoff final. Owner and chairman Dr Tony Xia was banking on the club receiving the riches of England’s top division, but ended up with a £4.2m tax bill from HMRC and the threat of a winding-up order.

However, after a payment plan was agreed with the government, new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens took a controlling stake in the club from Xia and the instability of the summer looked to be over.

Then came the rumours that Thierry Henry had agreed a verbal contract to become the new boss at Villa Park. After a couple more days of speculation, the new owners confirmed that boss Steve Bruce would be staying on and the former Hull and Sunderland manager could finally plan for the 2018/19 season.

Bruce deservedly kept his job for another crack at promotion and secured the signings of Andre Moreira and Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Atletico Madrid and Manchester United respectively. He now deserves huge credit for bringing Villa through this difficult summer.

The final hurdle for Bruce to overcome was what the future would entail for 22-year-old midfielder Jack Grealish. The youngster was heavily linked with Tottenham, and Spurs even had a £25m bid rejected before the hierarchy at Villa finally made it clear he was not for sale at any price.

Bruce will have been delighted to keep hold of the playmaker, who started the opening weekend win over Hull at the KCOM Stadium as the players seemed to rally around Bruce and put in an emphatic performance to come from behind and run out 3-1 winners.

Bruce deserves huge credit for riding out this summer, keeping hold of his top players and guiding Villa to a winning start to their Championship season. The fans can now look forward to another promotion push this season.

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Aston Villa have started the season in bright form but that has not prevented Steve Bruce from scouting the market for players who could potentially aid his side in their bid to achieve promotion this season. 

Aston Villa may well have kept hold of Jack Grealish despite relentless interest from Tottenham Hotspur, but they are still interested in adding further attacking midfield players to their ranks.

Indeed, a recent report from the Northern Echo claims that Villa are hoping to sign Everton’s Yannick Bolasie on a season-long loan deal before August 31st, although they fact competition from Middlesbrough for his signature.

But Bolasie’s reported £75,000-per week wages could yet represent a decisive stumbling block in negotiations, so Bruce should keep a close eye on Tottenham’s Marcus Edwards as a potential alternative.

The 19-year-old winger is on the fringes of Tottenham’s first-team after failing to impress during a loan spell with Norwich City last season, so a loan move is certainly within Villa’s reach.

Problems relating to punctuality and general failure to conform to authority have been cited as reasons why Edwards failed to establish himself with the Canaries, rather than anything to do with his footballing ability.

With that in mind, Bruce should be willing to take a chance on a youngster and personally take responsibility for a player who Pochettino once referred to as a “mini Messi” during an interview due to his low centre of gravity and willingness to run with the ball glued to his left-foot.

Naturally, the comparison has been overhyped and taken out of context, but there’s no doubt that Edwards does have a special talent which is waiting to be unearthed.

With the ability to cut inside from the right-wing or play in a number ten role, Bruce would have the opportunity to experiment with his position and various different midfield combinations.

There’s no doubt that Edwards represents a risk due to his unsuccessful loan spell with Norwich, but it’s far too early to write him off on the evidence of one poor transfer, so Bruce should target a loan deal for the Tottenham prodigy if they fail in their bid to sign Bolasie.

Aston Villa fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

During the summer transfer window, there were doubts over Isaac Hayden’s Newcastle United future.

In July, The Northern Echo quoted the midfielder as saying that he submitted a transfer request at the end of last season due to family reasons.

The publication stated that due to complications following the birth of his daughter, his partner was forced to relocate to the South-West.

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Hayden remains a Newcastle player, and he was a major talking point after the club’s goalless draw with Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.

In the 66th minute, the midfielder was handed a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Josh Murphy.

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Hayden had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute, but his lunging tackle from behind was enough for the referee to send him off.

After the final whistle, the midfielder posted an apology on Twitter, but not all of Newcastle’s following were receptive to it.

Newcastle United should revive their pursuit of Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico in January after Estadio Deportivo reported that the Argentine is interested in a move to the Premier League.

What’s the word?

Another frustrating transfer window for Rafael Benitez ended with the club failing to land a left-back.

Paul Dummett is the Magpies’ only real option in that area, and even though the club were linked to numerous players, none were signed.

Earlier this month, The Chronicle reported that Newcastle have been tracking Tagliafico for the past 18 months.

However, the window is now closed with regards to incomings, which means that if the Magpies want to resume their pursuit, they will have to wait until January.

Do they have a chance?

The 25-year-old, who is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, only signed for Ajax midway through last season.

However, Estadio Deportivo has quoted the left-back as saying that he would like to test himself in the Premier League.

Tagliafico made the comments after being asked about Real Betis’s alleged interest in signing him.

“I will definitely stay with Ajax for this season. I’ve heard rumours of Betis, but I will stay here. I don’t know if I will have another spell in Spain, but right now I have more curiosity for the Premier League, which is the strongest league in the world. I would like to play there one day.”

There is no doubt that Newcastle need a new left-back, and in his first season at Ajax, the Argentine impressed.

Judging by his remarks, Tagliafico could be open to joining the Magpies, so it is worth the club keeping tabs on him as the season progresses.

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Javier Hernandez has scored nine times in 37 appearances for West Ham United since joining the Hammers from Bayer Leverkusen in last summer’s transfer window.

Hernandez is yet to register in three Premier League appearances for the club this term, but was on the scoresheet against AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.

Indeed, the Mexican netted West Ham’s third in their 3-1 win, but his overall performance was heavily criticised by the club’s supporters on social media.

Hernandez has now taken some more stick from the West Ham fans, with many taking to Twitter to troll the 5ft 9in centre-forward.

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All things considered, Hernandez’s goal record for the Hammers is actually not too bad, but his overall work across the pitch has left a number of supporters frustrated.

Indeed, the former Manchester United striker found it difficult against Wimbledon before eventually netting in the latter stages, and the 30-year-old is currently struggling to break into the club’s Premier League XI.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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There is still a lot of work to be done before Rangers can close the gap between themselves and rivals Celtic, but the early signs under new manager Steven Gerrard look promising.

Rangers have put in some really encouraging performances so far this season — qualifying for the Europa League group stages on  the way — and one of Gerrard’s former team-mates at Liverpool has been quick to praise the Rangers boss and what is currently going on at the Ibrox.

The Breakdown

In his column for the Telegraph, Jamie Carragher wrote: “We have seen enough to know how much a year working as an Academy coach has helped Gerrard, tweaking formations, not panicking when the game is changed by a sending off and looking proactive on the touchline.”

“To be unbeaten after 12 games, including leading Rangers into the Europa League group stage, demonstrates his aura and leadership skills. He is already galvanising the club. He is already galvanising the club.”

Under Gerrard, Rangers certainly do look galvanised and a rejuvenated team. And, while it is still early into the former Liverpool man’s tenure at the Ibrox, Gerrard looks to be an astute appointment.

Like Carragher mentioned, tactically, Gerrard has done extremely well to adapt his team in matches where they have gone down a man.

Ultimately, his management of games has been very impressive so far, especially for such a young and fairly inexperienced coach.

The first Old Firm derby of the season against Celtic tomorrow will be a huge test for Gerrard. However, if he can come out of it unscathed, then Rangers supporters could be in for an exciting campaign.

On Saturday, Switzerland recorded an emphatic 6-0 home victory over Iceland to get their Nations League campaign off to a flying start. Whilst Iceland were undeniably poor, the home side were positive, adventurous and utterly clinical. A possession advantage of 63% to Iceland’s 37%, and 21 shots to their opponents’ 3, truly underlines Switzerland’s dominance.

The Swiss got off to a fast start, pulling ahead with less than 15 minutes on the clock, and then didn’t look back as they ran rampant on Saturday evening. The home side will certainly be feeling confident and in fine form ahead of their upcoming friendly with England.

In what was a fine team performance, a few amongst the Switzerland ranks stood out especially. Central to their brilliant display was their star man, Xherdan Shaqiri. 

Throughout the 90 minutes, Shaqiri was usually central to everything Switzerland did going forward. His huge involvement in the game is best evidenced by the 94 touches and 61 passes the Liverpool man made in the course of the match. Of all the players on the pitch, only Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka managed more touches than Shaqiri.

As often as the 26-year-old was on the ball though, he was equally effective with it. Only three players – all Swiss – played more than the two key passes executed by Shaqiri. With an excellent pass completion rate of 86.9%, Shaqiri was both aggressive and accurate with his passing. These figures include the two long passes that Shaqiri attempted, both of which found their intended target.

Shaqiri clearly had been given license to roam from his central berth, and often found himself in wide areas. Only one player on the pitch attempted more than the six crosses that Shaqiri fired into the Iceland penalty area. Only one connected with a Swiss teammate, but the amount of deliveries exemplifies just what a thorn he was in the side of the opposition defence throughout the match. 

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When he wasn’t looking to pick out his teammates, the former Bayern Munich man was taking on his opponents. Shaqiri completed four dribbles against Iceland, more than anyone else on the pitch, and far more than any of his compatriots managed. 

On top of completing the most dribbles, only striker Haris Seferovic attempted more shots on goal than the attacking-midfielder. Of Shaqiri’s four shots, two were on target, and one resulted in the third goal of the match. It was Shaqiri’s 22nd strike for his country, coming on the night he earned his 75th cap.

When England face Switzerland, Shaqiri is the man they must be most wary of. Allowing him room to dictate play and pick holes in the Three Lions’ defence could prove fatal for Gareth Southgate’s men. England ought to take Iceland’s suffering as a warning not to take the threat of Shaqiri – and Switzerland – lightly. 

Beyond the England match, Liverpool fans must be hoping that Shaqiri can bring his international form to club level.

Leeds United are likely to continue their rejuvenation with a mass exodus from their U23 ranks, The Yorkshire Evening Post suggests.

What’s the word?

Marcelo Bielsa led a major overhaul of the Leeds United squad he inherited over the summer and the effects of his business have been positive, with the Peacocks enjoying a blistering start to their Championship campaign.

However, Peacocks owner Andrea Radrizzani intends to continue to rejuvenate the squad in the future as The Yorkshire Evening Post quotes the Italian as suggesting that four players from the U23 ranks could be offloaded on a permanent basis.

According to the report, Oriol Rey, Alex Machuca, Adrian Balboa and Oliver Sarkic are the four whose futures lie in doubt and could be offloaded in the future – once their current loan deals come to a close.

What was said?

“We have a lot of millions in Under-23 salaries,” he told the YEP. It’s too heavy for this club.”

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The right move?

Leeds have prided themselves with the talents developed in their youth ranks but players in the U23 side should be pushing for a spot in the first-team, which none of the aforementioned quartet were doing – hence their departure.

All four players took up temporary deals in Spain’s lower leagues over the course of the summer, which suggests they are perhaps not the required standard Leeds are looking for, and their ranks need to be fine-tuned ahead of a planned return to the Premier League.

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Arsenal have struggled for consistency in the early stages of Unai Emery’s tenure in North London and the Gunners face a fight ahead if they are to return to the Premier League’s top four.

Improvements have been shown with back-to-back victories over West Ham and Cardiff City prior to the international break but the majority of the squad is yet to hit their best form this term, including the likes of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey.

Nigeria international Alex Iwobi also fits into that criteria and he is a player who has split opinion previously amongst Arsenal fans, many of whom questioned whether he was good enough to be a regular starter.

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Amidst this, the Gunners have been linked with a host of wingers who could potentially be drafted in to replace Iwobi and one of those is Bayer Leverkusen’s highly-rated Leon Bailey, so we asked fans if Emery should make a move in the market.

The results show that 57% of polled supporters believe that Arsenal should neglect a move for Bailey, rated as worth £40.5m by TransferMarkt, and should put their faith in Iwobi, who has scored one goal in his two Premier League appearances so far this season.

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Arsenal’s Europa League campaign got off to a strong start last week as the Gunners overcame Ukrainian outfit Vorskla Poltava by a 4-2 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium. A well-taken brace for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ought to give the striker a confidence boost, whilst Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ozil also found the back of the net.

Lucas Torreira and Stephan Lichtsteiner both made their first starts for the club, Bernd Leno got his first taste of life between the sticks in North London and exciting youngster Emile Smith-Rowe made his bow at senior level. The only drawback from Unai Emery’s perspective will have been the two late goals his side contrived to concede, meaning his wait for a first clean sheet as Arsenal boss would go on a little longer yet. 

The Spanish coach’s team selection was largely as expected and confirmed that he would seek to rotate in some of his lesser used squad players for these group stage encounters at least. In that sense, Emery’s approach to the tournament is comparable to how Arsene Wenger addressed it last season. For that reason, Emery must be wary of repeating the mistakes of his predecessor. 

Up until the latter stages of the competition last season, at which point it had become unarguably clear that the Gunners would fail to qualify for the Champions League via the traditional means of top four placement in the Premier League, Wenger deployed an almost entirely second XI for every Europa League clash.

The fact that his side made the semi-finals, at which point his first choice team were eliminated by Atletico Madrid, suggests that this approach was somewhat successful. However, there were consequences for this system of heavy rotation which harmed the Gunners’ cause in both domestic and continental competition. 

Wenger’s Europa League team became defined by their separation, which in turn created division in the squad as a whole. This ‘B’ team, in essence, were implicitly deemed to be the inferior players at the Frenchman’s disposal.

This state of affairs created an unhealthy chasm in the group, which led to a lack of competition for first team places and ultimately resulted in something of a squad exodus. The senior staples of that second string – Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshere – all recognised their demotion and were gone either by January or the end of the season. 

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In terms of the progression of the squad this overhaul was a positive development overall as it precipitated the arrivals of the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lucas Torreira, who all represent upgrades upon those who came before them. However, too much change too quickly has a destabilising effect, and Arsenal have known plenty of change in recent times.

Steadying the ship begins with reducing the amount of alterations – whether drastic or relatively minor – being enacted at the club. For Emery, that process of reintroducing stability to proceedings ought begin with his negotiation of the Europa League.

That isn’t to say that Emery shouldn’t rotate his squad for these fixtures, but he shouldn’t allow such a clear delineation between his Premier League XI and Europa League selections to occur again. Not only is this unhealthy for the competition levels within his own ranks but it interrupts any fluency or momentum his side may be gaining. 

What’s more, the Europa League is a competition that Arsenal have to take seriously this season. In Emery they have a coach who has won the tournament three times already in his career, but, for the Gunners, silverware-winning success on the continental stage is an unfamiliar concept.

As well as being a great opportunity for the North London club to land a rare European title, a Europa League triumph is likely also the most viable route back to the Champions League available to Arsenal this season considering the strength of their Premier League rivals. 

Rather than waiting for when – and indeed if – his team reaches the business end of the Europa League before making it a priority, Emery should be taking the tournament very seriously from the off. Not only will this give his team a greater chance of glory, but it could also aid their league campaign.

As Emery seeks to implement a new style of play at Arsenal, those extra Europa League games are a great opportunity to give his key players additional experience of playing in this new system.

If Arsenal are serious about being in contention on all fronts they must first ensure that they’re setting out to compete in all arenas. A Europa League triumph, and the Champions League inclusion that comes with it, would be a wonderful way to mark the beginning of the Emery era but that will only come if the Gunners commit to the competition from the start.

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