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Aston Villa’s recent upturn in form continued as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.

Steven Gerrard’s side came into the game off the back of a narrow defeat at the hands of Liverpool, but got back to winning ways thanks to goals from Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins.

And while the former took his goal well, it was Emi Buendia’s performance that really caught the eye for Villa.

The Argentine star of course was back on his old stomping ground at Carrow Road following his summer move from the Canaries, and it certainly felt like he was keen on reminding his former club just what they are now missing out on.

The little play-maker relished being a key part of the Villa attack, playing some superb one-touch passes and being a constant menace for the Norwich City defence.

As per Sofascore, only Douglas Luiz boasted a better passing accuracy than him among those players who started, while he provided the second-most key passes and crosses on the night too.

He was always looking to drive forward with the ball and that was unsurprisingly reflected by the fact he attempted seven dribbles – more than four of the man in second, Watkins.

During the game, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans simply tweeted: “Buendia is in the mood tonight. Rolls it through Cantwell’s legs, draws a huge cheer from the away end and helps win a corner. #AVFC looking good…”

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight, saying: “Started well and really entertained, popping first-time passes into his teammates and flicking little ones around the corner. Buendia strutted his stuff out there and even nut-megged his pal Cantwell which he enjoyed.

“The only gripe is that Buendia doesn’t carry much of a goal threat with his best work coming outside of the 18-yard box. Enjoyed himself out there. The Argentinian had a couple of efforts blocked in the second half as Norwich made sure he didn’t score. A majestic performance nonetheless.”

While Ramsey will no doubt steal the headlines for his excellent finish and his continued improvement this season, Buendia put in the kind of statement-making performance that surely had Gerrard purring about what’s to come.

Meanwhile, Villa have been offered this European star…

Lots of Sunderland fans have been left blasting the performance of Lynden Gooch in their 6-0 defeat away at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

It was a dismal day for the Stadium of Light faithful in their race to get promoted from League One, and while the defenders were truly awful in trying to keep the ball out of the net, the attackers were equally as poor going forward.

None more so than Gooch, who failed to record a single shot on goal or key pass, and was inaccurate in three of his attempted crosses and long balls (SofaScore).

The winger also gave the ball away on no fewer than on 21 separate occasions in total, the most out of any player on the pitch, in what was a disappointing game for him and the whole team.

Sunderland fans blast Gooch

These SAFC supporters were left blasting his display on Twitter, with one Black Cat even going as far as to claim that he is an ‘imposter’:

“100% convinced Gooch is a imposter”

Credit: @freddiesafc27

“Lynden Gooch plays every week, surely the “management team” can see he’s simply not good enough, it doesn’t matter who we face or any other excuses he’s simply not a good footballer.”

Credit: @jfoster3_

“Gooch has to be dropped now”

Credit: @woodylad83

“They were all atrocious. Gooch just stood out. LJ’s tactics aren’t working either.”

Credit: @Lauren_McLeish

“Leave Lynden Gooch in Bolton”

Credit: @mackemroy66

“Never want to see Gooch in a Sunderland kit again”

Credit: @omiddsafc

In other news, find out what transfer update has Black Cats buzzing here!

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Dean Smith’s comments on Wesley Moraes on social media.

The 24-year-old made his first appearance of the season in the 2-2 draw with West Brom on Sunday evening.

Smith described Wesley’s long-term absence due to a cruciate ligament injury as one of the most significant injuries he’s seen in football.

The Villa boss revealed that the Brazilian, who joined in a deal worth £22.5m back in 2019, received a round of applause from the Villa players after he named the squad in training for the clash with Sam Allardyce’s side.

Wesley has made a total of 22 career appearances for Villa so far, scoring on six occasions and registering a single assist.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the footage of Smith talking about the striker on Monday lunchtime on their official Twitter page.

Several supporters gave their views on his comments, with a selection available to view below.

“Is this man going to take us any further or do you think it is the end of the road”

Credit: @Dylanjo70365265

“my heart”

Credit: @fokkos2

“Love that”

Credit: @nickgd99

“I love this club soo much utv”

Credit: @Marco60921015

“Keinan may have scored the equalizer, but it was Wes who made the impact. Big lad like him in the box for the last minutes, well, we all saw the chaos it caused for West Brom. More options in attack, nice to have him back !”

Credit: @JarkkoKyn

“Man like big Wes! Cannot wait to see him back fully fit. Support him lads! It was a massive injury.”

Credit: @jSG50

In other news: £47k-a-week Aston Villa man a shock target for Premier League giants, find out more here. 

BBC Scotland pundit Marvin Bartley has been full of praise for the performance of Celtic forward Jota over the weekend. 

The lowdown: Celtic one step closer

The Hoops took another significant stride toward the Premiership title with a 2-0 victory over Ross County at Victoria Park on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are now six points clear at the top of the table with four matches remaining after an opening goal from Kyogo Furuhashi and a late strike from Jota sealed the points in Dingwall.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-3/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

After the match, there were plenty of plaudits for the Portuguese ace in particular…

The latest: Bartley praises Jota

Speaking to BBC Sportscene (April 24, 19:31), Bartley was full of praise for the display of the 23-year-old on loan from Benfica.

The Livingston defender gushed: “His all-around game is absolutely brilliant. If you’re a Celtic fan you want him signed up as soon as possible. He’s a striker’s dream, isn’t he? If you go in the right areas, he’ll find you. His head is up all the time.

“He can play left, he can play right, he’s pro-active, he’s constantly on the move. He’s got that belief he can go past anyone.”

The verdict: Top-drawer display from Jota

This was a performance right out of the top drawer from Jota as the Portugal under-21 starlet took his tally for the season to 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Overall, the youngster earned a standout 8.90 rating for his display, which contained four key passes and two further big chances created, along with the goal and assist (Sofascore).

Performances such as this will only further increase the clamour for the club to pay the reported £6m required to make the loan sensation a Celtic player on a permanent basis over the summer.

In other news, an expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.

Rob Lee has exclusively told Football FanCast that Callum Wilson could be the key to Newcastle’s survival chances.

Newcastle slipped further into trouble following their defeat at Brighton on Saturday, leaving Steve Bruce’s team just two points above the bottom-three heading into the international break.

That result was the Magpies’ sixth Premier League game without victory, which has coincided with the injury to top scorer Callum Wilson.

The former Bournemouth striker sustained a hamstring problem during Newcastle’s win over Southampton last month, which was the last time Bruce’s men tasted victory.

Prior to his setback, Wilson had scored 10 Premier League goals this season, which is more than 30 percent of the goals they’ve netted in the league.

And Lee told Football FanCast that Wilson’s return can’t come soon enough for the St James’ Park oufit:

“You get him back after the international break, he’s the one that can save the season because he’s the guy that can score goals out of nothing.

“Even when we’re not playing well, which is a lot, he can still score. And that’s the different between somebody staying up and going down.”

Newcastle have won seven Premier League games this season, with Wilson scoring in five of those. So if Bruce’s men are to finish above the dotted-line, Wilson is certainly going to play his part.

Fulham could see Tosin Adarabioyo depart Craven Cottage on a cut-price deal this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claimed that the 23-year-old centre-back could leave west London for as little as £10m in the summer transfer window due to a release clause in his contract.

It is reported that this clause is only active until 14 July, meaning that if any of Newcastle United, Arsenal or Norwich City – all of whom have been linked with a move for the former England under-19 international – wish to make a move for Adarabioyo at a reduced price, they will have to do so quickly.

Fans should be concerned

While the news that the £10m release clause in the former Manchester City man’s contract at Craven Cottage is only active for a matter of weeks could be viewed as a good thing, the fact that Adarabioyo has a clause in his contract for such a small fee should be enough reason for Fulham fans to be concerned.

Having impressed for Scott Parker’s side last season, as well as currently being valued by Transfermarkt at £10.8m, should a club go on to activate the 23-year-old’s release clause this summer, it would be something of a disaster for the west Londoners ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last term, the £27,000-per-week centre-back helped his side to keep nine clean sheets, as well as averaging 1.3 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and 5.8 clearances per game. These metrics saw Adarabioyo earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Cottagers’ ninth-best performer in the top flight.

With Fulham hoping to secure an immediate return to the top flight next season, losing one of the club’s brightest starlets – whom Tony Mowbray dubbed an “exceptional talent” – for less than his current market valuation would not be a good way to kick off the new season for the Cottagers, nor would it look well on the club’s hierarchy for allowing the clause in his contract in the first place.

In other news: Fresh Fulham managerial development emerges that should leave Khan relieved

Aston Villa are plotting a club-record move for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, according to The Mirror.

The report claimed that Villa are ready to spend up to £40m on their former loanee to bolster their attacking ranks for the 2021/22 season.

Abraham, who scored 26 times in 40 Villa appearances during the 2018/19 campaign, is also of interest to Crystal Palace and West Ham. He is not in Thomas Tuchel’s plans at Stamford Bridge and it seems as if Dean Smith wants to reunite with the striker at Villa Park.

A £40m move for the 23-year-old would end up breaking Villa’s club record for a second time this summer following their £34.5m deal for Emiliano Buendia.

Villa fans react

The Mirror shared the news on Twitter on Saturday lunchtime. Here’s what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one describing a possible deal for Abraham as ‘big’ and another insinuating that it may help towards keeping the in-demand Jack Grealish at Villa Park.

“NSWE may wanna pick up the phone, European football’s on the line”Credit: @Avfc_Barry”Personally would be all over this.”Credit: @AVFCTheReligion”Screams project keep Jack ngl”Credit: @VillaVisionBen”If true, this team is truly building, having 2 strikers of Watkins & Abraham quality competing is a big boy move.”Credit: @LordMillman29″Bring him home”Credit: @JackAVFC__”It seems there are two things coming home this summer….”Credit: @Conradreturns_7

In other news: Villa willing to break club-record for one man if Grealish leaves, find out more here. 

Celtic are still yet to announce a deal for Eddie Howe as their next manager, despite reports claiming he verbally agreed on a move to Glasgow last week.

And now, according to a report from Football Insider, the Hoops are fearing the 43-year-old is having second thoughts over a move to Parkhead.

Howe put off by Celtic pressure?

They have been informed by a Celtic source that Howe has received a ‘wonderful’ offer from the club, however, they have concerns he may be having second thoughts about the vacant post.

One reason mentioned is the demands of winning every game in Scotland, with Howe not used to that pressure during his previous stints at Bournemouth and Burnley.

Transfer Tavern take

Even though Football Insider are sharing the club’s fears over Howe’s stance on a move, we aren’t as concerned over a proposed deal falling through.

The Sun have suggested that both parties are reluctant to rush negotiations, which, in our view, is the right decision.

A potential start date, along with certain assurances may still need to be agreed between both Howe and Celtic, so as long as the two parties are on the same page throughout, we’re confident a move will still be finalised.

In other news: Premier League side set to bid for Celtic midfielder, find out more here. 

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to Wilfried Zaha’s comments regarding his Selhurst Park future on social media.

The 28-year-old still has over two years remaining on his Eagles deal and is the club’s top earner – taking home £130,000-a-week.

Reports last month suggested that Arsenal have reignited their interest in the versatile winger, with Palace now thought to be willing to cash in on his services this summer.

The Ivory Coast international, valued at £40.5m, is closing in on 400 appearances as a Palace player, but it seems as if he may not hit that landmark following his comments.

Zaha, talking to The Face, cited by Eurosport, admitted he would be open to a move away, revealing he wouldn’t turn down a transfer to a bigger club in a bid to win a trophy.

“I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams, because my dream is to win things.

​“I’m good enough to go out there and compete with the best. If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It’s so I can show my kids: ‘This is what Daddy won.’”

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared Zaha’s comments on Twitter on Friday evening. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply.

“Eze injured and Zaha going, I’m really not looking forward to next year”Credit: @joe_cpfc_01″Lol, I’m losing all hope for next season and this season hasn’t even finished”Credit: @Thomas01568186″Yeah he’s gone”Credit: @Sumo08112″Meh, who cares?”Credit: @bradhcpfc”Disappointed to read this. We deserve more respect”Credit: @AJWrightnBrite”Got to the point where I’m not bothered anymore”Credit: @Danny_CPFC

In other news: Many CPFC fans fume as ‘pathetic’ Matt Woosnam post emerges, find out more here. 

Manchester City travel to face Leicester City on Saturday as they return to Premier League action following the international break.

Whilst having a two-week break from action after back-to-back 5-0 wins was not the ideal situation for Pep Guardiola, it has given some of his players time to get themselves fit and firing to be ready for selection.

John Stones was a crucial member of the team at centre-back next to Ruben Dias last season, but is yet to make his first appearance in the Premier League this term. Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte have filled in alongside the Portuguese beast, but now could be the time for Guardiola to bring in the England international for his first start of the 2021/22 campaign.

The £100k-per-week enforcer started two of England’s three games over the international break, with his side conceding once in those two matches. This shows that he picked up some valuable minutes ahead of his return to Manchester, which could put him in good stead for a start having been left on the bench against Spurs and Arsenal and omitted from the matchday squad against Norwich (Transfermarkt).

Bringing Stones into the starting line-up could help to deal with the threat of Leicester striker Jamie Vardy. The Foxes forward has scored two goals in three games this season and ended the previous campaign with 15 league strikes.

In the 2020/21 campaign, Laporte averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.99 and won 66% of his duels in the Premier League. Stones averaged a score of 7.22 and won 70% of his duels in the top flight, suggesting that he is the superior option for Guardiola out of the two centre-backs as he proved over the course of an entire league season.

Therefore, the 27-year-old could be the man to come in and deal with Vardy, with the help of Dias, on Saturday. Vardy is renowned for his speed and Stones is no slouch. The former Everton defender’s return could be a huge boost if he is able to recapture his form from last season to make an impact against the Foxes, helping to keep Vardy quiet throughout the afternoon at the King Power Stadium.

This is why Guardiola must hand him a start and offer him the chance to show that he is capable of continuing his fine form from 2020/21 and carrying it over to the current campaign. Whilst it may be harsh on Laporte, the full-time result against Leicester will hopefully prove that it is the correct decision.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Steve Howey raves over Man City star in new role, labels him “devastating”…