Aston Villa have struggled for consistency at the start of the new season, staying in the running for promotion but not quite setting the world alight.

Steve Bruce’s side are set for a number of final tweaks in the transfer market before the loan window slams shut on Friday and exits are also on the cards as well as potential new additions at Villa Park.

One player who has seen an exit confirmed is Aaron Tshibola, who has returned to Scottish side Kilmarnock on loan for the entirety of the 2018-19 season in order to earn more regular playing opportunities.

The 23-year-old midfielder has accumulated just eight Championship appearances since joining the club in 2016 from Reading, surpassing that tally in his stint with Kilmarnock last term as he earned 12 league appearances in Scotland.

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It is not clear where Tshibola’s long-term future lies but Aston Villa fans shared their reactions to the move on social media and we have gathered some of the best responses below.

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Rangers supporters in the Transfer Tavern have been in fine voice in the last few hours after seeing their side reach the group stages of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Steven Gerrard’s men beat Russian outfit Ufa 1-0 in the first leg of their play-off encounter at Ibrox last week to give them something to defend on Thursday, and they certainly had to work hard given they played much of the encounter with nine men. Alfredo Morelos and Jon Flanagan were both given their marching orders to leave the Gers facing an uphill battle against their Russian opponents, yet a 1-1 draw means that Gerrard’s side will be in the draw for the group stages later on today.

Subsequently, there have been many delighted Rangers fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom are also likely to be intrigued by what the final day of the Scottish transfer window is going to throw up, and whether their side will make any more additions.

Yet the Gers may well have missed a trick failing to lure the experienced Jon Walters to Ibrox during the summer window, what with the winger joining Ipswich Town on loan from Burnley on Thursday.

The 34-year-old made the move to Turf Moor last summer after ending a seven-year association with fellow Premier League side Stoke City, but only managed three league appearances for the Clarets last term to underline his lowly position in Sean Dyche’s pecking order.

And with just one appearance for the club this time round, it was becoming increasingly likely that the Republic of Ireland international would leave Burnley before the close of the transfer window, with the Championship’s basement side Ipswich securing his services on Thursday.

Yet given the vast amount of experience Walters possesses, alongside the fact that Rangers are without fellow winger Jamie Murphy for the entirety of this season, Gerrard may have missed a trick failing to sign the 34-year-old.

The former Stoke man has played 233 times in the Premier League during his career to underline just how long he has been at the top level, and with 43 goals and 21 assists in that time, he also helped produce the goods for a Potters side that became an established top-flight team until their somewhat surprising relegation last time round.

And with 53 caps for the Republic of Ireland, there is little doubting that Walters could have been a huge asset to Gerrard this term as the Gers chief seeks to take the Scottish giants back towards the summit of the game north of the border, while his arrival would also help compensate for the injury to Murphy.

The 28-year-old has been ruled out for the entirety of the campaign after suffering a knee injury against Kilmarnock little under a fortnight ago, thus leaving Gerrard without one of his most influential attackers in his first season in charge.

And while Walters is probably not as good in the attacking third of the pitch as Murphy, what he would have offered the Gers is a huge amount of experience and an incredible work-ethic.

As such, the Light Blues may have missed a trick failing to lure the Irishman to Ibrox this summer.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Loads of Rangers fans have been weighing in on the striker debate, and over two thirds of fans want Steven Gerrard to axe Alfredo Morelos for the game against Dundee.

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Rangers have now officially made their worst start to a league season for nearly 30 years after the defeat to Celtic, and fans are calling for a big team change.

Granted, the Gers did win the league after that poor start in the 1989-90 season, but even with the Europa League success it has been a worrying start to the league season.

The defensive structure of the team looks much better, but quite simply they need to score more goals, and 69 per cent of fans think Morelos should lose his place.

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The young Colombian had a great start to the season, scoring vital Europa League goals and a wonderful hat trick against Kilmarnock, but his lack of discipline has divided fans.

Kyle Lafferty is a much more experienced option, and fans are calling for the change, as you can see from the poll results down below…

Manchester City cruised to a win this weekend against Fulham as Pep Guardiola’s men simply outclassed the Cottagers.

The gulf in class was evident on numerous occasions throughout, and it is little surprise to see City unbeaten so far with such a talented squad at their disposal.

However, the club are always looking to improve and build, and we think one or two January additions might just see them home to a second successive Premier League title.

And one player we think would fit in at City and develop even further is Wolves ace Ruben Neves.

The Portuguese midfielder was the top performer for the Championship winners last term, and he appears to have carried that form right through into the Premier League.

However, a player that talented does not go unnoticed, and it seems inevitable he will get a big money move in the near future, with City as likely a destination as any should he decide to stay in England.

While Wolves won’t want to sell, City have the spending power if needed, and Neves is a class act.

The Portuguese midfielder is young enough to develop into one of the top central midfielders in the game, and under the guidance of Guardiola, might just become one of the finest in the world.

City fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

According to Transfer Market Web, Chelsea are looking to unload struggling striker Alvaro Morata on loan in January. 

This has caught the attention of many clubs around Europe, with West Ham contenders to sign to former Juventus and Real Madrid forward. This would be an audacious swoop by the east London club, but if they land it, it would probably result some of the current crop of players being forced to move on, be it on loan or permanently.

If this deal were to go through, these TWO players would have to leave the London Stadium…

Andy Carroll

England international Andy Carroll is so frequently injured that any fan could be forgiven for forgetting he is still with The Hammers.

The big striker injured himself during preseason and is set to miss the first three months of this season. He only managed seven Premier League starts last season, and 15 the season before, as he has been ravaged by injury.

It would be hard to find his way back into the team if Pellegrini is set on strengthening his squad further, which has to be done in all fairness when you have such unreliable players on your books.

The trouble is, it also would be very hard to loan Andy Carroll out to any club. Barely any team would be willing to sign the former Liverpool man on a short term deal, as there would be fears that he would barely feature due to injury. The only real option the club would have is to sell the injury-prone man.

Lucas Pérez

This would be a case of last in, first out, if Morata joined The Hammers. The former Arsenal striker Lucas Pérez has failed to impress after signing in the final hours of this summer’s transfer window.

With Marko Arnautović and Javier Hernández ahead of him in the pecking order, and, in truth, probably a fit Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio, the arrival of the Chelsea man would only push the Spaniard down in line.

A loan deal may be in order to allow the striker a chance to find some form before next season.

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Hearts go into this weekend’s clash with St Johnstone sitting pretty at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, five points clear of their nearest challengers Rangers, as reigning champions Celtic flounder in sixth place.

The Edinburgh side have yet to lose a game in any competition so far this season, and only dropped points in the league for the first time with a 0-0 draw against Livingston last weekend.

For St Johnstone it has been a mixed start to their league campaign, with two wins, two draws and two losses leaving them in eighth place. Tommy Wright’s side come into the game off the back of a heavy defeat by Rangers in the league and a late loss to Celtic in the cup though, so will be looking to bounce back.

Ahead of this game, we’ve teamed up with 5P0RTZ – the new revolutionary sports gaming experience – where YOU can win  big cash prizes! All you have to do is answer seven questions for a chance to be entered in to the prize pool.

Take a look at the questions below and then enter with a £5 stake before kick-off. The prize fund for this fixture is £100!

Question 1 – What will the result of the match be?

The fact that 5P0RTZ are offering to multiply your points by five if you back St Johnstone tells you all about the expected result here. The Saints have had a difficult week and it’s not likely to get any easier against the current pace setters in the league.

Despite there being no multiplier, we can’t look past Hearts for this one.

Question 2 – How many goals will be scored in the match?

Rangers proved last weekend that the St Johnstone defence will leak goals when attacked, and Hearts have netted 11 times in their first six league games so far this season.

In Scottish international Steven Naismith, who is on loan from Norwich, Hearts have the league’s top scorer who could well prove the difference at Tynecastle Park if he adds to his five league goals.

Question 3 – Pick a player that will score at anytime during the match

Because of his goalscoring exploits so far this season, Naismith won’t get you any extra points but would be a safe bet to net one. We’ve gone for more of a wildcard pick though in the hope that we can bump up our score, with St Johnstone midfielder Blair Alston, who has two goals already this season from midfield.

Question 4 – How many corners will be taken during the match?

The amount of corners is always a difficult one to call, but here we would go with something low. St Johnstone might struggle to force enough saves from Hearts keeper Zdenek Zlamal to register more than three or four of the set pieces and Hearts will be hoping they can convert their chances at the first time of asking from open play.

We’ve gone for nine or fewer corners to be given throughout the tie.

Question 5 – Pick one of these events to occur in the match 

There are eight different scenarios to select from here, with a range of different multipliers available. Alston scored a penalty last week for St Johnstone against Rangers, so the option of either team to score a penalty could be a good one to take if you want to double your score.

The other tempting option is the St Johnstone keeper Zander Clark to make five or more saves. With Hearts in top form it looks as though Clark will have plenty to do and this would be our pick of the bunch.

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Question 6 – In which minute will the first card be shown in the match?

The options here come in 15 minute intervals and there is little chance for value in the middle of the match where you might reasonably expect the first yellow to be handed out. For that reason, we’ve gone for the 61st to 75th minute, hoping that the game will be calm until then.

Question 7 – In which minute will the first goal be scored in the match?

The most difficult one of the lot to call, pick a minute here and the closest wins, simple as that. After they netted four in the cup against Motherwell in midweek, we’re backing Hearts to take the lead in the 20th minute on Saturday.

It’s fun. It’s simple. It’s easy to win. Play 5P0RTZ now for your chance to win BIG!

Joining the club after being sacked by Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed some incredible success in Scotland.

With the former Swansea City manager at the helm, Celtic have continued their dominance in Scotland and became the first ever Scottish club to win the ‘Double Treble’ as they beat Motherwell 2-0 in the Scottish Cup Final. It also meant that Celtic won their seventh consecutive league title.

The start of this season, however, has been somewhat of a tumultuous one. Over the summer, Rodgers had to deal with both Dedryck Boyata and Olivier Ntcham wanting to leave the club while also losing star man, Moussa Dembele.

The rumours have seemingly affected the club’s form as Celtic currently sit sixth in the table and are six points behind league leaders Hearts.

Following the club’s 1-0 win over St Johnstone in the Scottish League Cup Rodgers admitted that he has turned down several offers to leave Celtic but decided to stay at the club.

The Breakdown

While on the face of it, the fact that Rodgers rejected a move should reassure the fans that his committed to the club, coming out with those comments at such a tough point in the season is not a wise tactic.

If Rodgers wants more money to stay at the club that gave him a chance to repair his career, then maybe the Celtic board should consider shipping the manager out. The club will always remain much bigger than any player or manager and maybe it’s time the board reminded Rodgers of that.

What do you think Celtic fans? 

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Despite being long-term admirers of the midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur allowed Chelsea to sign Ross Barkley in a £15m deal during the January transfer window at the start of 2018, and it is surely a decision that they must be regretting right now.

What’s the word, then?

The Evening Standard reported back in January that Spurs decided not to rival their London neighbours for the England international’s signature because they believed that they could sign better players in the summer – something that obviously didn’t turn out to be the case seeing as they didn’t bring in anyone at all.

Their decision looked to have been vindicated when he struggled to make an impact under Antonio Conte and suffered from more injury issues, but he has already visibly been transformed under new boss Maurizio Sarri.

The 24-year-old hasn’t been a regular in the starting XI, but he has made a big impact when he has been on the pitch – he produced a goal and an assist when he was given the nod from the beginning in the 3-0 win against Southampton at St Mary’s on Sunday.

Why should they regret their decision?

His display against Saints led to teammate Eden Hazard claiming that he has the quality to be one of the best midfielders in the world, and that in itself should be worrying for the north London outfit.

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As long as he can steer clear of injuries, it appears as though the former Everton ace is ready to star in a more central attacking midfield role in Sarri’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, and he may well have cemented his spot in the starting XI for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Tottenham may have made their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign themselves but they showed how short of creativity they are without Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli against Cardiff City on Saturday, and not only would Barkley have been a great addition for them right now, he would have been in the long-term too.

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Whilst much of the media attention is on Aaron Ramsey’s contract situation at Arsenal, Danny Welbeck is also quietly heading towards the end of his current deal at the Emirates Stadium.

The England international has begun the new campaign in fine form, and already has four goals to his name in nine appearances in all competitions. Last time out, in the 5-1 demolition of newly-promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage, Welbeck made his first Premier League start under Unai Emery.

However, with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette ahead of him in the pecking order, the 27-year-old is unlikely to find himself in the starting XI for too many league fixtures this season.

At this stage of his career, the striker may feel that moving on is the wise move in pursuit of more regular football. If that is indeed the case, then the Gunners would be wise to sell Welbeck to the highest bidder in January, rather than lose the former Manchester United man as a free agent at the end of the season.

The question is, what sort of price tag should Arsenal put on Welbeck in the winter transfer window? According to Transfermarkt, Welbeck has a value of £13.5 million, and £15m is probably a fair price all things told.

What do you think, Arsenal fans – what would you call a fair price for Welbeck?

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After a poor run of form, Everton have since picked up in the last few weeks following back-to-back wins against Fulham and Leicester City.

And the Toffees could be about be handed a massive boost as they look to carry their momentum into upcoming fixtures versus Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

The Breakdown

Summer signings Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes are expected to be fit for the visit of Crystal Palace with manager Marco Silva confirming just before the international break that the pair should be ready for Sunday’s game.

“Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes are okay,” Silva told Sky Sports prior to Everton’s 2-1 win away at Leicester.

“Gomes trained this week and is progressing as well as we hoped. They will both be available for the match against Crystal Palace after the next [international] break.”

Mina and Gomes have yet to feature for Everton since arriving at the club from Barcelona on deadline day but, now that the duo appear to be fit, they both have the ability to come in and make an impact.

Everton have looked shaky at the back for some time now, but Mina possesses the type of attributes that can help the team out drastically in that department.

Meanwhile, in midfield, the introduction of Gomes will add more creativity and control to the side with the Portuguese playmaker’s passing a tool that should prove to be a real asset to Everton as the season progresses.

The sooner Silva can integrate Mina and Gomes into the Everton starting XI, the better.