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Football Insider have shared two reasons as to why Emiliano Buendia has decided to move to Aston Villa over Arsenal.

The Lowdown: A busy Saturday

Both clubs appeared to be firmly in the race for the Norwich City man during the week, with the two sides thought to be lodging big-money bids. However, Saturday appeared to mark the turning point in Villa’s favour.

Reliable reporter Charles Watts claimed that Villa moved ahead of the Gunners in the race for the Argentine, with David Ornstein insisting hours later that personal terms have been agreed and a medical has been completed.

An up-front fee of £33m was agreed upon by the two clubs with the transfer expected to reach £40m after the add-ons.

The Latest: Reasons for Villa Park preference

According to Football Insider, Buendia was convinced by Villa’s “huge” ambition, along with their plans to strengthen this summer and in the coming years.

Buendia will become Villa’s club-record signing, eclipsing Ollie Watkins’ £30.6m arrival from Brentford last year.

The Verdict: Massive coup for Villa

The Argentine winger scored 15 goals and registered 17 assists last season for the Canaries, so this deal could turn out to be massive for Villa. They wanted two wide forwards this summer, and it seems as if they will be getting a hugely creative one in Buendia quite early in the window.

The 24-year-old created 83 chances in his only full season in the Premier League. That came during 2019/20, when only Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne managed more in that campaign across the entire top flight.

On that basis, Buendia and Grealish playing alongside each other next season could be a mouth-watering prospect at Villa Park.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to club’s interest in Premier League striker, find out more here. 

Liverpool are interested in staging a summer transfer swoop for Getafe striker Enes Unal.

What’s the word?

That’s according to reports from Turkish outlet Fanatik that suggests Liverpool are on the lookout for a replacement striker, with Divock Origi set to leave.

Origi’s contract expires at the end of the season with the Belgian strongly linked with a move to Serie A giants AC Milan.

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The 27-year-old has not made a single start in the Premier League, yet boasts three goals this season in six appearances, the epitome of his time with the Reds.

The report reads that Unal could well be a suitable player for Jurgen Klopp’s system.

Origi for Unal

Quite frankly, if Liverpool allow Origi to leave at the end of the season, they could not find a better replacement in former Manchester City forward Unal.

The pair are inseparable when it comes to their overall style, with both identifying as poachers who rely on chances created, rather than creating chances themselves. Unal’s style in particular can be evidenced through the 24-year-old Turk’s 0.13 goal-creating actions total, placing him in just the 9th percentile for positionally similar players, as per FBref.

The past few seasons have demonstrated the importance of the impact substitute role in Klopp’s side, with the 27-year-old Belgian playing his part in the side at the drop of a hat and always delivering in big moments. Think back to that emphatic Barcelona comeback.

As such, although he is not a starter for Klopp, the absence of Origi will leave a gaping hole in the German manager’s squad.

Since the mid-way point of last season, Unal has established himself as a starter at Getafe and boasts a record of 15 goals and one assist in 32 La Liga appearances this season for the Spanish outfit.

His record looks even better when you consider that Getafe have scored just 31 goals this campaign, meaning Unal has been a major source.

Unal, who has been dubbed as a “great talent” by Tomasz Cwiakala has scored 77 goals across his professional career, and by 2015, he had scored a rather remarkable 181 times in 108 youth outings, so he certainly knows where the net is.

He would also offer a greater defensive service to Klopp too, with the £16.2m-rated Turkey international boasting an average of 25 pressures per 90, placing him in an elite category in the 98th percentile as per FBref.

Unal could not only replace Origi, but even serve as a cheaper alternative to Liverpool-linked Darwin Nunez.

In other news:  Liverpool “will end up” signing £83m “diamond” this summer, just imagine him & Diaz

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Joey Pelupessy is attracting interest from a host of clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, who claim that a number of Championship clubs, as well as teams from Turkey and the Netherlands, are considering a move for the 27-year-old at the end of the season.

According to the report, Wednesday would like to retain the services of the £450,000-rated midfielder, however, Pelupessy is keeping his options open as no agreement has been reached regarding a new contract at Hillsborough – with his current deal set to expire this summer.

Moore could rue Chansiri call

While Pelupessy’s form has been dampened by the general disappointing performances of Sheffield Wednesday so far this season, the former Netherlands U20 international has shown glimpses of what he is capable of at times throughout 2020/21.

In total, the £12,000-per-week defensively minded midfielder has featured in 37 Championship games for the Owls this term, over which he has made an average of 1.1 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 0.7 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.70.

However, since the appointment of Darren Moore back in March, Pelupessy has put in a number of impressive performances, including earning a 7.1 SofaScore match rating in the 2-1 loss to Norwich City, a 7.0 rating in the 2-1 victory over Barnsley and a 7.4 rating in the 1-0 win against Blackburn Rovers.

As such, it is hardly surprising to learn that Moore is eager to keep the midfielder Barry Bannan once claimed was the “perfect” player to play with, however, with it recently being reported that Dejphon Chansiri will not be offering any Owls players a new contract until the end of the season, it is not difficult to imagine that the 27-year-old will be snapped up by an interested party come the summer.

So, if Moore really does want Pelupessy to be a part of his Wednesday side next season, whichever league they will be playing their football in, it would be highly advisable for the manager to convince Chansiri that the midfielder must be made a priority when contract talks eventually begin.

In other news: Howson drops big transfer claim on SWFC’s “constant threat”, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Fulham have recently announced that they have completed a deal to sign midfielder Harry Wilson on a five-year deal from Liverpool.

What’s the story?

Wilson had been with Liverpool since 2005, but was restricted to just two first-team appearances for the Reds over the years.

Loan spells with the likes of Derby County, AFC Bournemouth and Cardiff City have seen Wilson impress at senior level, but that evidently wasn’t enough to see him have an opportunity to impress with Liverpool ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season.

The 24-year-old has opted to sign for Fulham on a permanent basis, for a fee believed to be in the region of £12million, according to a recent report from The Athletic.

The Cottagers will be targeting promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, and Wilson will be hoping he can play his part in their promotion bid this term.

A real statement of intent

The Welshman first made a name for himself in the 2018/19 season, when he scored 18 goals, and was on hand to provide six assists in total for Derby County, although that campaign ended in frustration, as Frank Lampard’s side were beaten by Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Wilson briefly returned to Liverpool in the summer of 2019, before heading out on loan once again, but this time he opted to sign for AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League.

He certainly didn’t look out of place with them either, as he scored seven goals, and provided two assists in his time with the Cherries, as they finished 18th in the top-flight standings, as they were relegated into the second-tier.

So, there might have been an element of surprise when the £15k-per-week star decided to drop back into the Championship in the 2019/20 season, this time with Cardiff City.

Fulham already have some strong options in attacking areas, with the likes of Ivan Cavaleiro, Tom Cairney and Josh Maja showing glimpses of their quality last term, although their efforts weren’t quite enough to see them avoid relegation back into the Championship, whilst under the management of Scott Parker.

Wilson has shown a consistently high level of performance in the loan spells he’s had in the last three seasons, with his Whoscored rating of 6.96 in the 2020/21 season whilst with Cardiff City showing evidence of that. With seven goals and 12 assists to his name in that campaign for Mick McCarthy’s side as well, it was another memorable season for the winger.

It’s somewhat of a coup for a Championship club to strike an agreement so sign a player of Wilson’s quality, with the Welshman showing that he can cut it in the Premier League, having impressed with AFC Bournemouth not so long ago, in a loan spell at the Vitality Stadium.

Relegation from the Premier League can always be a tough transition for clubs, but Fulham are evidently keen to use their financial muscle this summer, and signing a player of Wilson’s quality is a real statement of intent by the Cottagers, as they look to return to the top-flight in the near future.

In a previous interview with Football Insider, former Leeds and Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson felt as though Wilson would have been a good signing for Brentford, who were previously interested in a deal to land his signature, whilst also labelling the midfielder as ‘an amazing player’.

“Wilson is an amazing player though and I would be surprised if only Brentford were looking to sign him at that price.”

Members of the Peruvian media were told that Rodrigo Vilca will leave Newcastle United on loan this season, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Newcastle paid £225,000 to sign Vilca from native outfit Deportivo Municipal last October.

He had played 29 senior games for the club, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

But Vilca, who can play as an attacking midfielder and operate on both wings, spent his first season with the Under-23s and is yet to make a full debut (via Transfermarkt).

He’s been described as an ‘ingenious’ player with ‘great vision’ (via Chronicle).

The latest

Journalists in South America were apparently briefed that Vilca would temporarily leave St James’ Park for valuable minutes, but any such move has ‘yet to unfold’.

Ryder reports that the player is ‘still some distance from where Newcastle want to be’, and for now they appear to be limiting expectations.

Nonetheless, they are confident he will make progress in the remaining years of his deal.

The verdict

It doesn’t look great for Vilca at this moment in time. He’s 22 years old, and at that point you’d have expected him to kick-on and at least challenge for some minutes off the bench for the first-team.

An initial season in the Under-23s may well have been the plan, but the fact that he couldn’t even make the matchday squad for cup competitions is a little concerning.

If he does wind up staying – a loan to the second or third tier might be the better option – then he’ll simply have to make more of an impression than at youth level. If he finds himself in the same spot next summer, this £225,000 experiment may be headed for failure.

In other news, Newcastle turned down the chance to sign a player who was bound for greatness.

Former Aston Villa defender and now Football Insider pundit Alan Hutton has been giving his thoughts on the club’s reported interest in Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe.

The Lowdown: Tuanzebe a top target

Villa look set to spend big again this summer, and according to Football Insider, they are in the market for a new centre-back.

Tuanzebe appears to be a player of interest for sporting director Johan Lange, with reports claiming the 23-year-old is a top target. A fee of just £7m could be enough to bring him to Villa Park on a permanent basis, with the defender making 35 appearances on loan in the Midlands.

He has only made 34 appearances for Manchester United, with his latest coming in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last week.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Speaking to Football Insider on the transfer update, Hutton seemed to be all for a deal for Tuanzebe, believing that the defender ‘has the attributes to be a top, top defender’. The Scotland international said:

“I think it’s an absolute steal. £7million for a young, English, talented football player that has got so much to give.

“We’ve obviously seen glimpses of him at Villa – well, not a glimpse but you know what I mean. We can see what he can do and I think he’s only going to get better.

“Obviously, coming to Villa, he’s got a fight on his hands, whether it be with Konsa or Matty Cash. I think it’s one that he will stand up to and he’ll want to fight to get in that team.

“If he does, he’s only going to get better, which means his value is only going to go up. This is the type of player I think Villa are going to target. Someone that’s going to come in hungry and willing to get better.

“You never know where he could end up in the future. I think he’s got all the attributes to be a top, top defender.”

The Verdict: Tuanzebe deal should be a no-brainer

In our opinion, for just £7m, Villa should be looking to make Tuanzebe their first summer arrival.

He helped Villa to promotion under Dean Smith in 2019 and will know what it takes to play at Villa Park. He may not immediately come in for Tyrone Mings or Ezri Konsa, but having that competition could be crucial for Smith’s side to progress even further.

Tuanzebe has also played as a full-back and a defensive midfielder during his career, so he could also fill in if needed in those positions.

His Transfermarkt valuation stands at just over £7m, and at just 23 years of age, it could turn out to be an inspired piece of business down the line if he is brought back to Villa Park.

In other news: Villa looking at African defender also wanted by Newcastle, find out more here. 

Liverpool have made the first move in their attempts to bring Otavio to Anfield this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness), who claim that Jurgen Klopp’s side have made an offer of €23m (£20m) plus Marko Grujic for the FC Porto attacking midfielder.

However, the report goes on to state that Porto have no intention of agreeing a deal for Otavio that includes the Liverpool midfielder, and instead have informed the Reds that they will have to pay Otavio’s €40m (£34m) release clause if they wish to sign the 26-year-old this summer.

Coutinho 2.0

Considering just how impressive Otavio was for Porto last season, it is unsurprising to learn of Liverpool’s interest in the former Brazil U23 international.

Indeed, over his 26 Liga NOS appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s side last term, the £21.6m-rated man scored three goals, registered eight assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £29k-per-week midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.30, ranking him as Porto’s third-best performer in the top flight of Portuguese football.

There are clear comparisons that can be drawn between the 26-year-old and Liverpool former star attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho, with Otavio’s strengths being noted as his ball control, his playmaking and his consistency, traits that have also been attributed to the Barcelona player.

Indeed, the two players are also capable of operating from a number of positions across the front line and midfield, with Otavio having been fielded from left, central, right and attacking midfield, as well as at left-wing and as a support striker last season.

As such, if Liverpool do go on to get a deal over the line for the Porto star this summer, Klopp would be gaining a type of player he has not really possessed since the sale of Coutinho back in 2018, with Otavio very much appearing to be a talent that the German manager would love.

In other news: Liverpool make an official bid for “extraordinary” £43m dynamo, fans will be buzzing

Craig Hope has now dropped an update on Newcastle United’s proposed arbitration case with the Premier League over the initially stalled takeover deal.

The Lowdown: Announcement imminent

As per Sky Sports, an announcement confirming the takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is now imminent after recent work being done behind the scenes by all of the parties involved.

It is not yet clear how this would affect the arbitration hearing, which is due to take place on January 3rd.

The Latest: Arbitration update

According to Hope, sources have of course indicated that the proposed takeover is expected to go through, but The Daily Mail journalist also gave an update on arbitration:

“Sources indicate NUFC takeover is expected to go through after settlement of piracy issues between Saudi/beIN. I’m told arbitration may not be needed now piracy is resolved.”

The Verdict: Relief

It will certainly come as a relief to the Toon Army not only that it looks like that the takeover will now go through, but that the whole saga is coming to an end after years of waiting.

It is not clear whether the arbitration proceedings will still go ahead assuming an official announcement is made, but at least it looks like a deal will finally be completed soon.

Nonetheless, these are very exciting times for Magpies fans, who will no doubt want the deal to be concluded as quickly as possible.

In other news, find out when Steve Bruce could now be sacked here!

A number of Liverpool fans have criticised Andy Robertson’s first-half performance against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League clash.

The Reds are back in European action this evening, making the testing trip to Spain to face reigning La Liga champions Atletico.

Diego Simeone’s side knocked Liverpool out of Europe back in 2019/20, so revenge is certainly in the air from a Reds perspective.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Jurgen Klopp’s side have won their opening two Group B matches against AC Milan and Porto and another victory tonight would all but book their place in the last-16 with three matches to spare.

The manager has fielded a strong starting lineup for game, but despite racing out to a two-goal lead courtesy of Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita, one player who has struggled to impress is Robertson.

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Liverpool fans react

These Liverpool fans reacted to the left-back’s display on Twitter.

“Sensational start. If Andy Robertson could try to keep possession once in a while, it could get even better…”

Credit: @Ashleyrose66

“Robertson dropping a stinker so far”

Credit: @YikaloTes

“Did Robbo lose like 5m of acceleration in the summer? Why does he constantly drop 2m deeper than the line?”

Credit: @SimonBrundish

“Robbo so poor so far”

Credit: @ShivamTweets11

“The amount of times Robbo ruins the offside line is low key terrible”

Credit: @AllezTheReds

“Disgrace Robertson doesn’t deserve this Salah masterclass”

Credit: @ABxLFC

In other news, some Liverpool fans have bemoaned an exit rumour regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a cut-price move for Boubacar Kamara in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Centre-back and midfielder eyed

The St James’ Park club have bene linked with a number of centre-backs and centre midfielders throughout the transfer window so far, including Will Hughes, Kyle Bartley and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Given that Kamara is capable of playing both as a centre-back and central midfielder, Steve Bruce may be looking to kill two birds with one stone with his potential signing.

The Latest: Kamara interest

As per The Daily Mirror, Bruce is interested in a move for Kamara, who is in the final year of his current deal with Marseille.

The 21-year-old is duly thought to cost in the region of £15m, which could present a bargain to Newcastle given that he is currently valued at £33.3m by Transfermarkt.

Both Liverpool and Manchester City are also monitoring the player, but the Tyneside club may be able to pounce on his signature as neither of the other two clubs has firmed up on their alleged interest.

The Verdict: Bargain

The fact that the Magpies could get Kamara for essentially half of his market value presents itself to be a real bargain.

Once described as a ‘phenomenon’ by his former team-mate Rolando in May 2020, he is still only 21 years of age, and so it is scary to think how good he could be in the future.

The Frenchman played in 35 Ligue 1 games in the 2020/21 season, winning 6.9 of his duels per match while also averaging an impressive 2.5 tackles, 1.3 clearances and one interception per game (Sofascore).

He could be a very smart signing by the Magpies at just £15m if they get the deal over the line.

In other news, find out what details have been shared of talks with Amanda Staveley on the potential takeover