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The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has delivered the latest on Aston Villa’s plans for the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

With Steven Gerrard now at the helm at Villa Park, the upcoming transfer window throws up some exciting possibilities for what the new Villa boss could potentially do.

And now, during a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece has confirmed his expectation that the Midlands club will be busy in the transfer market and intimated the kind of areas they might look to strengthen.

He said: “I do expect Villa to be active, 100 per cent. There will be a few sent out for some game time and quality will be added providing Lange can help get deals over the line. It’s a tough market but Gerrard has a huge pull now. Villa will lose Nakamba for 3/4 weeks, likewise if Traore and Trez are passed fit for Egypt and Burkina Faso.

“A left-back will be priority, as will a defensive midfielder and, possibly, a winger. Gerrard still assessing the likes of El Ghazi etc, while likes of Philogene-Bidace and others will be loaned out. Quality will be Villa’s priority in January.”

Villa fans will be excited

Given Gerrard only took over from Dean Smith last month, it’s no surprise that the new Villa manager is intent on making some big signings in the January transfer window and putting his first touches on this squad.

As Preece alluded to, simply the name of Gerrard will make Villa an even more attractive and exciting option than they already were, and he could prove to be the difference-maker in terms of a lure.

With the club also facing issues with injuries – particularly to Danny Ings and Leon Bailey – and AFCON, the need for new players is perhaps even more pressing for Villa than most other sides around the league, so getting those new faces in early will be crucial to ensuring that they don’t slip behind.

Preece’s update is sure to have Villa fans very excited about what could happen next month.

Meanwhile, Gerrard must finally unleash this star…

Tottenham Hotspur have once again been linked with a move for Paulo Dybala…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Xavier Jacobelli, Spurs are among the teams interested in a move for the Juventus dynamo as he enters final six months of his current £222k-per-week contract.

“Inter are at the window, as well as Tottenham. [Antonio] Conte and Barcelona also highly esteem Dybala. We have to see what he will do in these months, because Beppe Marotta (Inter’s CEO) and other companies are at the window and are watching,” he told Calciomercato.it.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport also claims that Lilywhites head coach is an ‘indisputable admirer’ of the Argentina international, who is currently valued at £45m by Transfermarkt.

Perfect for Conte

Dybala’s time in Turin over the last few seasons has been frustrating to say the least, largely due to injuries but whenever he has been on the pitch, he has proven to be a key player for Massimiliano Allegri – even taking the armband in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini.

For example, this season, he has only played 19 times across the Serie A and Champions League but has still delivered nine goals and four assists, via Transfermarkt.

And with the futures of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli in doubt, the need for a new attacking maestro could soon increase tenfold.

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Dybala has long been a target for chairman Daniel Levy, having come close to signing him during the 2019 summer transfer window after the deal controversially collapsed at the 11th hour over image rights.

“I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player,” once claimed former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey to The Athletic. “He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”

Spurs have lacked a creative no.10 ever since the departure of Chrisitan Erisken, with Ndombele failing to step up to the mark despite being the club’s record signing at £55m.

The north London outfit are free to negotiate a pre-contract with Dybala with makes him an even more appealing prospect as he won’t cost Levy a penny upon arrival in the summer.

Italian football expert Conor Clancy has also previously suggested that the presence of the 28-year-old dynamo could help bring the best out of Kane, only further highlighting how poor the Frenchman has been.

“I feel like he’d be unstoppable with Kane because he’s not a number nine, so he’s got to be playing alongside a striker like that,” he told Football FanCast in the summer.

Maybe it’s time for Levy and co to finally pull the trigger on Dybala. He’d be a very nice signing under Conte, who according to the initial reports, is a big fan.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals “positive update” behind-scenes at Spurs, Conte will be buzzing…

Despite Kelechi Iheanacho’s electric form for Leicester City this season, Brendan Rodgers is still apparently keen to sign a striker for The Foxes.

A number of options have been mooted – one of the most prominent names being Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard.

However, the Frenchman could face some competition for a move to the King Power Stadium with Leicester now reportedly eyeing Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

At same age, the two could certainly be intriguing rivals for a move but it is Edouard who Leicester should be pursuing most fiercely.

The Frenchman is certainly in the midst of a far more impressive season when comparing the two players.

He has plundered 20 goals in all competitions for the Hoops this season, the third consecutive campaign in which he has hit over 20 goals for Celtic.

Meanwhile, Abraham has endured a frustrating campaign for Chelsea, netting just six Premier League goals this season having fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud at Stamford Bridge.

Hailed as “top-class” by former boss Rodgers, Edouard’s personal statistics also continue to rate him above Abraham.

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According to WhoScored, he averages far more shots per game in the league with 3.5 to 1.6, whilst the former Paris Saint Germain man can also rack up far more key passes and dribbles; 1.3 and 1.6 compared to 0.5 and 0.6.

Whilst Celtic are clearly playing against poorer teams than Chelsea, these stats still go some way to indicate that Edouard is certainly a great attacking threat, so it is easy to why Rodgers is such a fan of his.

Whilst the Frenchman is plying his trade in a league of lower quality, Abraham was still not able to overcome Edouard’s current numbers even in his prolific 2018/19 Championship campaign with Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, it is likely that the Celtic man will also cost considerably less than the current Chelsea forward. He is rated at £13.5m, whilst Abraham holds a rating of £36m.

So considering that Edouard looks by far the better option in terms of his quality, he is also far more attractive in relation to transfer fee.

Leicester then, must prioritise the Celtic man if they do want to recruit a striker in the summer.

AND in more news, Foxes boss Rodgers has handed the club a huge boost with his comments…

Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has dropped an update regarding Manchester United and Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Spence profiled

Spence, labelled as ‘incredible’ by former top flight right-back Alan Hutton, is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest from Middlesborough, and has caught the eye following his displays at the City Ground.

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He has made 40 appearances for Forest as a right-back and right midfielder, helping the Reds climb up the Championship table under Steve Cooper.

Forest are now in serious contention for a place in the Premier League next season, but it looks as if Spence could move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Latest: Plettenberg’s post

Manchester United have been credited with an interest in Spence recently, and Plettenberg took to Twitter on Tuesday to provide an update on the 21-year-old.

He revealed he has five offers on the table but his ‘dream’ is to play for United due to being a boyhood Red Devils fan.

“Update Spence: Selling price is €12-15m! It is said that he has got 5 offers. City, Arsenal & Tottenham are among the interested clubs.

“Djed‘s dream is to play for MUFC one day. He is a fan! Been told there should be still a loose contact with FC Bayern.”

The Verdict: A risk?

Spence, known for his pace, has shone in Forest’s 3-4-1-2 system, playing as both a right-back and right-midfielder in the second tier.

He seems to thrive in a back three, however, Erik ten Hag likes to use a 4-3-3 system, a formation which may not play to Spence’s strengths, should the Dutchman look to go with his preferred system during his first year in charge of Manchester United.

Therefore, a move for Spence could be a risky one to start with, and even though he wants to move to Old Trafford, he could be better off looking to join a side like Tottenham, slotting right into Antonio Conte’s back-three system.

In other news: Man Utd make £55m bid for ace with ‘better quality than Pogba’; agent set for Old Trafford talks. 

Nottingham Forest ill take on Brentford in the Championship this afternoon. A win could take them further away from the dangers of relegation, with them currently nine points above the drop zone.

However, Forest haven’t won in either of their last five matches, and suffered a 2-0 loss to Norwich City on Wednesday. Goals from Teemu Pukki and Kieran Dowell inflicted another defeat as stand-in goalkeeper Jordan Smith was forced to make a number of saves to keep them in the game.

It seems as if Chris Hoghton will still be without a few long-term absentees, with Harry Arter, Joe Lolley and Joe Worrall all sidelined. Goalkeeper Brice Samba is still a doubt for this fixture, as is the influential Anthony Knockaert.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hughton to line his side up against Brentford, with three changes from the team which started against Norwich City in midweek…

Smith is expected to retain his place in the starting lineup for the second game running, with first choice keeper Samba an injury doubt. He performed well against the league leaders in midweek, making five saves, and will be a crucial member of the squad on Saturday.

There’s one change in defence, as Gaetan Bong comes in at left-back. Tyler Blackett didn’t perform too well against Norwich, and Bong provides the team with a bit more experience in the back four.

The central midfield partnership of James Garner and Ryan Yates is expected to continue, but a poor display from Cafu on Wednesday means that he misses out in the attacking midfield position. Filip Krovinovic is expected to come back in after being rested, and should add more creativity to the team.

Luke Freeman continues on the left and Sammy Ameobi should start on the right. Both players have been struggling for goals and will be looking to find better form against Brentford this weekend.

Lyle Taylor replaces the £27,500-a-week earning Lewis Grabban in attack, and he could be vital if Forest are going to end this bad run. Taylor is their top scorer this season with four goals, and the Reds need to start finding themselves on the scoresheet if they are to come away with three points.

Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts has urged the club to sign Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig this summer.

Sabitzer has been heavily linked with a potential move to Spurs across the past year.

The 27-year-old is a versatile presence who can play on either flank, in attacking midfield and in central midfield.

This season, the Austria international made 27 Bundesliga appearances and scored eight goals, while registering four assists.

He also impressed in his country’s opening game of Euro 2020, providing an assist in their 3-1 win over North Macedonia.

Football.London has reported that Sabitzer could be available for a bargain fee of around £15m this summer, with just a year left on his contract, and Roberts believes Spurs need to get a deal done quickly to ensure he ends up in north London.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “We’ve been chasing him for a while. It’s now, do we go and get him?

“They have said he can be sold this year so we might wait until August to get him but yeah, I think we need to go and get him, and we need to go and get him very, very quickly.”

Sabitzer has been with Leipzig since 2014 and has made 227 appearances in total, scoring 52 goals and laying on 42 assists.

Millwall are set to make a second attempt to bring Josh Windass to The Den this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the South London Press, who claim that Gary Rowett’s side are preparing a second offer for the Sheffield Wednesday attacking midfielder after having an initial £400k bid rejected for the 27-year-old.

Despite the Lions’ apparent intentions, Yorkshire Live report that Darren Moore is unwilling to sanction the sale of the £1.44m-rated man this summer, as he sees Windass as a crucial part of his Owls side moving forwards.

Rowett must move

With Millwall having enjoyed a highly impressive campaign in the Championship last time out, with Rowett’s side securing an 11th place finish in the second tier table, it is not a difficult scenario to imagine that, with a couple of decent additions to his squad this summer, the 47-year-old could well mount a push for a top-six spot next season.

And, considering how impressive Windass was last term, despite playing for a side who finished bottom of the Championship table, the 27-year-old would certainly appear to be a signing who would boost the Lions’ chances of going on to land a play-off place in their upcoming campaign.

Indeed, over his 41 Championship appearances for Wednesday in 2020/21, Windass scored nine goals, provided six assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £10k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as Moore’s seventh-best performer in the second tier of English football.

Windass’ nine league goals were bettered only by Jed Wallace of Millwall players last term, while the 27-year-old’s six Championship assists would have ranked the attacking midfielder top of the Lions’ assist charts.

As such, it would seem highly advisable for Rowett to do everything he can to get a deal over the line for the man whose father, Dean, dubbed an “explosive” player this summer, as the Wednesday star could well take Millwall’s game to a whole new level in their upcoming campaign.

In other news: Get him gone: Rowett must ruthlessly axe “powerful” £10k-p/w Harris flop at Millwall

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee expressed his concerns over the lack of natural goalscorers at his old club.

First-choice striker Callum Wilson has scored 10 Premier League goals this season; however, no other Newcastle player has been able to show that level of proficiency during the 29-year-old’s time on the sidelines.

The likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin have really struggled in front of goal overall, with the former managing to score just once in the current English top-flight campaign so far.

Unsurprisingly, it is a huge worry for Lee, who believes this predicament has left manager Steve Bruce and the club in big trouble.

Speaking exclusively with FFC, the ex-Newcastle star said:

“If you haven’t got someone who’s a natural goalscorer scoring goals, you’re in trouble, you’re in trouble. You look at all the teams down there and none of them have a natural goalscorer, none of them. They [the teams that go down] never do. Throughout the years, they never have a natural goalscorer.

“We actually have one, but he’s injured and it seems the whole of our team is based around him and how he plays. And we haven’t got a replacement and then we don’t have any players from midfield [who can score goals].”

Indeed, Newcastle’s lack of goals at the minute is a huge concern. Furthermore, Bruce will be delighted to have Wilson in training again and hoping his return from injury has not come too late.

Paul Stewart has exclusively told Football FanCast that a move to Newcastle United could revitalise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career.

A knee injury wrecked the first half of his season, but even since returning from that setback before Christmas, the England midfielder has just twice in the Premier League for Liverpool and was left out of the squad for the victories at Manchester United and West Brom.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has enjoyed both Champions League and Premier League success since his move from Arsenal almost three years ago but has never been a guaranteed starter under Jurgen Klopp despite making 30 appearances during the Reds’ title winning campaign 12 months ago.

The 27-year-old still has more than two years remaining on his Anfield contract but is reportedly going to be available to sign for just £17m this summer, with German giants Borussia Dortmund interested in the midfielder.

But former Liverpool man Stewart believes that staying in the Premier League could get Oxlade Chamberlain’s career back on track following his recent injury struggles.

He told Football FanCast:

“Brighton, maybe Newcastle? I don’t want to be disrespectful to them clubs, but at that price they’re the type of players they can go in for.

“I think he’s got ability Oxlade, and he has been unlucky with injuries, but that Liverpool team, to try and get in there, I don’t think they will be looking at him as one of the players that can do that.

“So, one of those clubs could revitalise one of those careers – he’s playing week in, week out if he stays fit, people will be saying £17m is a steal.”

Southampton were briefly linked with a move for Dan James before he joined Leeds United this week, and the Welshman could’ve been a superb addition at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, the Saints were tracking the 23-year-old’s situation at Manchester United, with the winger perhaps always likely to leave following the summer arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, he eventually completed a £25m move to Leeds United, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side clearly desperate to bring him in after seeing a 2019 move for him collapse during his time with Swansea City.

Would James have been a good signing for Southampton?

Although £25m would have been well over the budget that Ralph Hasenhuttl set for new signings at Southampton this summer, there seems little doubt that James would have offered something very different at St Mary’s.

The Austrian does have pacy options up front in Che Adams, Adam Armstrong and Nathan Tella, but so far this season Theo Walcott, Moussa Djenepo and Mohammed Elyounoussi have been the starters on the wing, none of whom possess the raw pace of James.

During his time with Manchester United, the 23-year-old contributed nine goals and nine assists in 74 appearances, including a stunning goal at St Mary’s in a 1-1 draw in 2019.

Despite featuring just 15 times in the Premier League last season, the Wales international still contributed three goals, which is more than the likes of Djenepo and Redmond managed for the Saints in the top flight in 29 and 27 appearances respectively.

The young winger was also in impressive form for Wales at the European Championship earlier this summer, averaging a solid 6.88 rating from WhoScored for his performances as Rob Page’s side reached the round of 16.

James’ pace alone could have offered Southampton a serious counterattacking threat down the wings, rather than the constant dribbling with no end product that Saints fans often endure from Redmond and Djenepo, as indicated by their aforementioned figures from last season.

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Therefore, whilst he would’ve been an expensive option, Southampton will perhaps regret not pursuing James further in the summer transfer window.

In other news… Bullet dodged: Southampton escaped deadline day disaster with £16.2m-rated beast