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Enzo Maresca has done a splendid job in charge of Chelsea since his appointment in the summer, transforming the club’s fortunes on the pitch and pointing them back in the right direction.

After the first 20 games of the Premier League campaign, the Italian has led the Blues to a top-four spot, just four points off London rivals Arsenal and looking well-placed for a Champions League spot.

However, the last few matches have highlighted the lack of defensive options at Maresca’s disposal, especially after Wesley Fofana’s setback which could see him miss another large spell of action.

His side are without a win in four, drawing two and losing the others, with the January transfer window the first perfect opportunity for the former Leicester City boss to bolster his backline.

Numerous players have already been touted with a move to Stamford Bridge, with another name entering the picture over the last couple of days.

Chelsea eyeing move for PL star in January

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are keeping tabs on Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabarnyi over a potential move before the end of the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old joined the Cherries from Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv two years ago and has been an influential part of Andoni Iraola’s backline in recent months.

He’s started all 20 Premier League outings to date, featuring in every minute of the competition, playing a massive role in the club’s unexpected early success which sees them sit in seventh position.

It’s unclear how much a move would cost the Blues, or even if his current employers would entertain any deal for their star man this window, but he would provide the quality Maresca is searching for at the back.

Any switch would certainly end a pursuit of another player, potentially offering a cheaper alternative but also a better option in the Blues’ hunt to secure a top-four finish come the end of the season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Why Zabarnyi would be a better addition than Guehi

Chelsea sold defender Marc Guehi to Crystal Palace for just £18m in the summer of 2021, but fast-forward nearly four years, and now they are interested in a move to re-sign the Cobham academy graduate.

The move has been touted in recent days, but would undoubtedly cost Maresca and the hierarchy a fortune, with Oliver Glasner’s side demanding a fee in the region of £75m in the summer amid serious interest from Newcastle United.

Another option that has been taken into consideration is recalling Trevor Chalobah from his loan spell at Selhurst Park, with the Englishman featuring alongside Guehi during his temporary stint.

However, the real focus should be on a permanent deal for Zabarnyi, with the 22-year-old outperforming the aforementioned pair massively this campaign – also providing an immediate and long-term option for the club’s defensive department.

The Ukrainian, who’s previously been dubbed as “complete & dominant” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has won more aerial battles this campaign, offering that threat in the air that has often evaded Maresca’s men in 2024/25.

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He’s also averaged more carries with the ball and completed more short passes, making him an excellent fit for the possession-based philosophy currently implemented in West London.

Whilst it’s unclear how much a deal would set owner Todd Boehly back this winter, Zabarnyi’s talent is evident, undoubtedly providing an upgrade on the current crop of defenders currently at the Bridge.

Given his tender age, he has the potential to improve further in the years ahead, potentially playing a vital role in helping the club end their wait for a league triumph.

Better than Fofana: Chelsea want to sign "ridiculous" Guehi alternative

Chelsea have compiled a shortlist of transfer targets to bolster Maresca’s squad.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 7, 2025

A fourth side, from South Africa, is expected to take part in the tournament, to be held in September

Sreshth Shah23-Jul-2022An Indian team is set to go up against a Pakistan team come September, away in Namibia. Around the time the Asia Cup takes place – most likely in the UAE – Cricket Namibia will host the four-team Global T20 Namibia series, with Bengal [from India], a representative Lahore Qalandars side [from Pakistan], and a South African domestic side.Bengal have confirmed their participation, and Qalandars have agreed in principle, with a South African side likely to be named soon. ESPNcricinfo understands that some logistical niggles need ironing out before the final go-ahead.On Friday, Bengal named a 16-man team for the tournament. Abhimanyu Easwaran will be at the helm, and a number of other regulars – Shahbaz Ahmed, Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Writtick Chatterjee, among others – are included, with some fresh faces too.The opportunity to play against a team that will be taking part in the 2022 T20 World Cup would be priceless for the Bengal players, Debabrata Das, Cricket Association of Bengal joint secretary, said.”The broadcasters for the tournament came before our president [Avishek Dalmiya] and invited us. We took the opportunity to play six-seven games before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy [India’s domestic T20 tournament for men], because we can get to play against a World Cup team,” Das told ESPNcricinfo. “The ambition is that there are several young players who are playing in local cricket in Bengal and performing fantastically with respect to T20s. So we are sending mostly those young guys so that we can make our team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Namibia are grouped with Sri Lanka, Netherlands and UAE in the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup•ICC via Getty”The team we are sending abroad, this is a new team. We want to see how they play, how they tackle this tournament.”For Namibia, it will be a chance to finetune their preparations for the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November. At the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, Namibia finished fifth in Group 2 after making it from the preliminary round to the Super 12 stage. Namibia will play an ODI tri-series in Papua New Guinea after this T20 tournament before leaving for Australia, where they are grouped with Sri Lanka, Netherlands and UAE in the first round.There has been very little representative cricket between domestic sides from India and Pakistan in recent years.The last occasion was in the 2014 Champions League T20, when Lahore Lions played against Kolkata Knight Riders, a game that featured Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Suryakumar Yadav.Prior to that, between 2006 and 2008, the Nissar Trophy – a four-day first-class competition between the winners of the Ranji Trophy and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – was played. But the competition was scrapped after three editions.

As they look to push on towards promotion, Leeds United are now reportedly considering a move to sign an attacking boost who’s already got nine goals to his name this season.

Leeds transfer news

Whilst they’re yet to get their January business underway, Leeds are in no position to panic at the top of the Championship and on course to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking under Daniel Farke.

That’s not to say they haven’t been eyeing potential reinforcements, however. Names such as Emmanuel Latte Lath have already threatened to steal the headlines and may continue to do so as the window rolls on.

The Middlesbrough striker has been in top form in the current campaign and would offer Farke an ideal attacking boost to potentially replace Patrick Bamford and compete against Joel Piroe for a place in his strongest side for the remainder of the season.

Leeds have hit gold with "explosive" star who's worth more than Louie Barry

Leeds United have been linked with an interest in Aston Villa forward Louie Barry this month.

2 ByDan Emery Jan 21, 2025

Recruiting from a Championship rival won’t come cheap though and those at Elland Road have seemingly already thought about potential alternative options as a result this month.

According to Sky Sports, Leeds are now eyeing a move to sign Willem Geubbels on loan from Swiss side FC St. Gallen for the remainder of the campaign. In a move that could see them fend off any competition from fellow interested clubs West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, the Whites may welcome a striker who’s far from shy in front of goal.

Still just 23 years old, Geubbels is yet to reach the peak of his powers but has already managed nine goals in just 23 games in all competitions for St. Gallen this season. Earning the interest of Leeds and the 49ers as a result this month, the forward could yet complete his return to the spotlight for the first time since leaving AS Monaco in 2023.

"Quick" Geubbels could be Leeds upgrade

Following an impressive breakthrough as a young player Lyon to earn a move to Monaco, Geubbels struggled to find his form and prove his plaudits right. And that looked set to be the same case at St. Gallen before he found his feet in the last two campaigns to such great success. Now, he may well have done enough to fight his way back to the big stage.

Dubbed “quick” and “creative” by The Rangers Journal at the start of last year, the Frenchman would undoubtedly be an upgrade on Bamford, who is yet to score or start in the current Championship campaign.

On loan, the 23-year-old is a player that Leeds could take a gamble on, especially as they push towards promotion and potential title success by the time May arrives.

Cruz Azul defeated the Águilas 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

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They will face Tigres nextThe striker scored his sixth goal of the tournamentThe Celestes and will meet again this SaturdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

On Monday, Ángel Sepúlveda stated that he felt the responsibility of being the goalscorer Cruz Azul needed to eliminate América in the Champions Cup. His comments weren’t just words – on Tuesday night, he backed them up by scoring a brace at Estadio Olímpico Universitario to help his team advance to the semifinals.

"We don't focus on shutting people up, we focus on working. There's a history that people don't forget easily, we deserved this. The other series have been very tight, and some very questionable," he insisted

For Sepúlveda and his teammates, the matchup had a sense of revenge, as América had defeated them in the Clausura 2024 Final and the Apertura 2024 semifinals. The striker also acknowledged the impact of Vicente Sánchez as the team’s coach.

"Today it's my turn to prove it on the field; in the end, many times words are carried away by the wind," he said. "Today, I feel very motivated. Vicente's arrival has given us that extra push, maybe not the same style we had before, but now we flow. In the end, that's it—the team is confident, united, and today is a great reward."

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Sepúlveda delivered on his words from the pre-match press conference ahead of the return leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinal between Cruz Azul and América. ended dominance and is now in the final stages of the CONCACAF tournament. Sánchez's work has been questioned at times, but the truth is that the Uruguayan coach has brought joy back to the team following the sudden departure of Martín Anselmi, just as the Clausura 2025 was beginning.

Getty Images SportWHAT VICENTE SÁNCHEZ SAID

"Beating a great rival motivates us even more. We’re going with a lot of excitement and respect for the next opponent, but we’re very hopeful. Now, it's time to enjoy and tomorrow we’ll do an assessment and see how the players are doing," said the Uruguayan after Cruz Azul's victory.

"We faced a great rival, today the two most successful teams in the tournament faced each other. It was always going to be a match like this, tightly contested. Honestly, it's exciting to have faced such a great rival."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?

The team coached by Sánchez will visit América this Saturday in the 15th round of the Clausura 2025, aiming to secure their spot in the final phase. currently sits in third place with 28 points and has not lost a Liga MX match since Week 7, when they fell 2-1 to Tigres. Since that defeat, they have accumulated five wins and one draw.

Allrounder departs Headingley after failing to nail down first-team spot

David Hopps08-Aug-2022Matthew Waite has become the third player to leave Yorkshire at the end of the season after agreeing terms with Worcestershire.Waite is Worcestershire’s second significant signing in a fortnight, following the capture of the Warwickshire middle-order batter Adam Hose. Both players have agreed three-year deals.Although some have predicted that Yorkshire will suffer a large outflow of talent in the wake of the racism crisis that has gripped the county, Waite’s departure is more accurately an indication that the county’s cricket affairs are stabilising.Related

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Brook, Waite star as Yorkshire leapfrog Northants in top-four pursuit

Hose joins Worcestershire in bid to revive his red-ball career

Whereas Yorkshire were disappointed to lose Tom Koher-Cadmore and David Willey, the departure of Waite is a considered evaluation of whether the allrounder fitted into future plans after eight years without laying claim to a regular place.That said, finances are under heavy strain with a restructuring underway to serve debts close to £20m and the possibility of further outlays if they lose an employment tribunal in Leeds in November, following the mass sacking of the county’s backroom staff.Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s interim managing director of cricket, said: “With Matthew out of contract at the end of the season and a big squad of talented players vying for places here at Yorkshire, we have been giving him opportunities to show us his skills before making a decision on his future with us.”However, having completed a loan spell at New Road earlier this year, Worcestershire have offered him a good contract which he has opted to take. Everyone here would like to wish him every success in the future and thank him for his efforts.”In his time at Yorkshire, Waite made 58 appearances across all three formats with 73 wickets and only one half-century. One of his best all-round performances came at Scarborough on Sunday with 3 for 21 and 36 against Worcestershire, aware that his move had already been finalised.Worcestershire also briefly took Waite on loan earlier this season, when he stood out with six wickets against Leicestershire. At his best, he is an effervescent cricketer and they will hope that, at 26, a tendency to the erratic will begin to diminish as they seek to offset the loss of their key allrounder, Ed Barnard, who has joined Warwickshire.Worcestershire Cricket’s steering group chair, Paul Pridgeon, said: “Matthew impressed us when he was here on loan earlier in the season, taking wickets and looking capable of scoring runs in the middle order, and obviously, it was a role we had to fill with Ed Barnard’s departure. He fitted in our dressing well, and that is something that is important to us. He fits the bill for us perfectly.”Waite said: “Playing for Yorkshire has fulfilled a childhood dream of mine. I wish the club every success going forward. I’m 26, it’s an ideal move at this stage of my career, a fresh challenge, and I can’t wait to get started this winter.”

Veteran’s fine season has set up an enticing semi-final tie against Sussex at Hove

ECB Reporters Network29-Aug-2022Steven Croft already ranks this summer as one of his career highlights – but now he wants to cement that feeling by helping Lancashire complete the job and claim the Royal London Cup title.Croft has enjoyed a stunning campaign across all formats, the 37-year-old batting allrounder sailing beyond the 1,500-run mark with three centuries.It has all come after he started 2022 thinking that it could be his last season and unsure as to how much he would play. But things look very different now.He has helped put the county in contention to win the LV= Insurance County Championship title – though they are outsiders behind Surrey and Hampshire – and contributed to their run to the Vitality Blast final.His efforts also mean the Red Rose are just two wins from one-day silverware, with them preparing for a Royal London Cup semi-final against Sussex at Hove on Tuesday.Related

Prest's decision to snub the Hundred pays off for him and for Hampshire

Croft lights the way in Blackpool as Lancashire scale Notts' tall target

Darren Stevens shows no sign of stopping as Kent cruise into Royal London semis

Hampshire's sixteenth win in seventeen brings home semi

Lancashire are heading south on the back of one of Croft’s best days, hitting a sensational 115 not out against Nottinghamshire at Blackpool in Friday’s quarter-final.A Blackpool native, he was making his 600th all-format career appearance, and Lancashire’s chase of 339 was by no means a straightforward one. But Croft held his nerve expertly with help from fellow allrounder Danny Lamb.”This season has been a massive highlight,” he said. “From the winter and not knowing whether I’d play, to getting in the side and then aiming to stay in the side, I’ve just wanted to have some fun.”At my age, you don’t know when your last is going to be. But I’ve just got that mindset of, ‘Just go out and enjoy the game’. It seems to be working, and hopefully it will do for a bit longer yet.”Croft is chasing his third career title with the Red Rose, following the Championship in 2011 and the Blast in 2015, the latter when he was captain. He grew up idolising the teams which won eight List A trophies through the 1990s, the county’s famous ‘Kings of One-Day Cricket’ era.”Growing up as a Lancashire fan, a young Lancashire cricketer, you always want to win the One-Day Cup,” he said. “All those wins 30 years ago now are what has made this club what it is, and those successes put Lancashire on the map in many ways. We haven’t won a trophy since 2015, and it would be nice to get one in.”Croft has had a brilliant season across formats•PA Images via Getty ImagesCroft’s own legacy includes bringing on the next generation of Lancashire players, such as George Balderson, George Lavelle and Jack Morley.”It puts the club in a good light to know that we’ve lost that many players to the Hundred and we can still compete and get through to a semi-final,” he said. “It’s been really nice to play a part in the development of these guys, seeing them come up through the Academy and come into the first-team environment with confidence.”It’s great to be on the field and share these experiences with lads like that, and it was great to see someone like Balders get his first hundred at Kent last week.”But the performances have been shared around. We’ve had people showing up with ball in hand and with the bat, so everyone’s going to go into that semi-final with a huge amount of confidence knowing that at some point they’ve put their hand up.”Lancashire face a Sussex side who finished top of the South Group, and in Croft’s second season, 2006, Sussex beat Lancashire in the C&G Trophy final at Lord’s. But Lancashire have won two more recent Blast quarter-finals against Sussex at Hove, in 2011 and 2020.”They’re obviously a team in form who we can’t take lightly,” said Croft. “But we go into it with massive confidence. We’ve only lost two games all competition, and they were two very tight games.”We’ve played some great cricket, and hopefully we can keep that going. We’ve also played one game more than them, which will be a nice bit of momentum. When you play in a great game and get a good win like we did [against Notts], you take a lot of confidence from it.”

Tottenham Hotspur have made surprise contact over signing a high-earning Chelsea star in the final days of this window, as Spurs frantically look to acquire an outfield signing for manager Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham suffer transfer rejections from Mathys Tel and Fikayo Tomori

The window has become pretty embarrassing for the north Londoners, as it is reliably reported that Postecoglou’s side could be facing a third public rejection of the last few days.

Tottenham offered "extraordinary" £50m striker after failed Mathys Tel deal

Daniel Levy is forced to look at other options.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Feb 1, 2025

Chairman Daniel Levy travelled to Germany on Friday in an attempt to convince Mathys Tel to join Tottenham, as per Fabrizio Romano and others, but the Frenchman snubbed their advances despite Spurs’ agreed £50m deal with Bayern Munich.

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Levy flew home empty-handed, but the Premier League strugglers swiftly moved on by opening talks to sign Milan defender Fikayo Tomori.

The club-to-club negotiations were going smoothly, with Italian reporter Daniele Longo and other Serie A news sources reporting that Spurs’ £25m offer had been accepted by Milan.

However, Tomori apparently didn’t fancy joining Tottenham either (Gianluca Di Marzio), and plenty of doubt is currently surrounding a move for the Englishman.

It is a sorry state of affairs for the club, and questions are rightfully being asked as to why Spurs have left it this late to pursue these targets. An air of desperation is resonating from N17, with Postecoglou’s side now looking across London to Chelsea in search of solutions.

According to various reports, Tottenham are exploring a late loan deal for Axel Disasi, and it is now believed that they’ve asked the Blues to help solve their shortage of forward options as well.

Tottenham make surprise approach for Christopher Nkunku

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, writing for The Boot Room, wantaway £195,000-per-week winger Christopher Nkunku is now under consideration by Tottenham.

Tottenham are said to have made a “shock” enquiry for Nkunku within the last day, but going by other reports, they face very stiff competition.

The 27-year-old agreed terms with Bayern Munich early last month (Florian Plettenberg), while Man United have been linked with a potential Nkunku swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho.

It is unclear how likely it is that Spurs can move forward with an Nkunku deal as of now, but his versatility and quality would make him a stellar late capture. The France international can play almost anywhere across the attacking third, scoring 13 goals in all competitions this season.

“His qualities are incredible,” said former RB Leipzig assistant coach Achim Beierlorzer.

“This season, in the space of just a few weeks, he has taken several steps forward, which means he can now be considered as a world-class player.”

Arne Slot brushed aside "ridiculous" Trent Alexander-Arnold claims as the Liverpool boss denied credit for his winning goal against Leicester.

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TAA scored the winner against LeicesterDefender likely to leave Anfield in the summerSlot does not doubt his commitment to LiverpoolFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Reds secured a 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon, with Alexander-Arnold scoring the decisive goal just minutes after coming off the bench – keeping Liverpool 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table. The result puts Slot’s side within touching distance of the title, needing only three more points from their remaining five fixtures to mathematically seal the championship.

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After nearly six weeks on the sidelines due to an ankle injury sustained in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, Alexander-Arnold made an instant impact on his return to the pitch. Although his contribution has been widely hailed, questions about his long-term future continue to swirl as he continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid.

WHAT SLOT SAID

While Slot has received some recognition for the timing of his substitution, he humbly played down any suggestion that he deserved credit for the England international's superb strike.

“No credit for me, but definitely for Trent, because he worked so hard for five-and-a-half weeks and for the medical staff who worked so hard to get him back into the squad as soon as we could. And that is why we could use him for 15 minutes and I think I had to use him for 27 in the end because of the added time," he told reporters.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Amid ongoing rumours linking Alexander-Arnold with a move to Real Madrid, Slot was quick to redirect attention away from the contract situation during his post-match comments. The manager instead insisted that the headlines should be around celebrating the goal and not questioning his work ethic.

“The headline today should be the goal he scored and not about his contract," he said.

“But what I can say is it would be ridiculous if someone argues his commitment for this club. The work-rate he put in to be back today and make such an important goal, and all the work he has done for this club in all the years he has been here, nobody in my opinion can argue his commitment to this club. The headlines should be his great goal and not his contract situation.”

Mohamed Salah posted the iconic selfie he clicked with Liverpool fans on social media after he scored in the club's title-winning clash.

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Salah clicked a selfie with Liverpool fansPosted the selfie on social mediaLiverpool won their 20th English titleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Salah made a habit of clicking a selfie with a Liverpool team-mate, who scored in a particular game for the Reds and posting the photograph on social media during the 2024-25 campaign. On Sunday, after he scored the fourth goal in the club's 5-1 humiliation of Tottenham, the Egyptian star ran towards the Kop stand and clicked a selfie with the fans to make the moment memorable.

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After Liverpool became the champions of England for a record equalling 20th time, Salah took to Instagram to share the selfie that he clicked with the fans.

DID YOU KNOW?

With the goal against Spurs at Anfield, Salah went past Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero's tally to become the highest scoring overseas player in the Premier League's history with 185 goals to his name. Now, only Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole are above the Egypt international in the list of all-time top scorers in the league.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

The newly crowned English champions will next visit Stamford Bridge next Sunday as they take on Chelsea in a Premier League away fixture.

As Aston Villa prepare to square off against Tottenham Hotspur in hope of advancing in the FA Cup, they’ll have to do so without as many as five players – including one key man.

Aston Villa injury news

Just like Newcastle United last season, Aston Villa’s squad depth has been put to the test in the face of added Champions League responsibility in the current campaign. Unlike the Magpies, however, those in the Midlands acted to welcome some much-needed reinforcements in the form of Donyell Malen, Marco Asensio, Andres Garcia, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi.

Those incomings didn’t arrive without any sacrifice though, with Jhon Duran funding those moves by sealing a big-money exit to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in one of the biggest moves of last month.

On paper, accepting such an offer made perfect sense but those at Villa Park are already set to face a dilemma in the forward’s absence following the latest injury news.

Aston Villa planning summer move to sign "heroic" ace Emery name-dropped

He knows Emery well…

1 ByTom Cunningham Feb 7, 2025

As confirmed by Unai Emery, Aston Villa are now set to be without Ollie Watkins against Spurs this weekend following the forward’s ill-timed injury. Left without a natural striker, the Spaniard could turn towards Malen or even hand a debut to Rashford in the leading role.

Emery revealed the news of Watkins’ injury and confirmed that Ross Barkley, Pau Torres, Matty Cash and Tyrone Mings will also miss out, telling reporters: “We are going to work tomorrow, but at the beginning, we have out, not available for Sunday, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres, [Matty] Cash, Ross Barkley and Watkins.

“For [Watkins], each day is being important, how he is feeling, but for Sunday, I think he is not going to be available because today he didn’t train. Tomorrow, I think he is not going to train as well, because he will need more days to recover. Hopefully, for next week, he will be available.”

Aston Villa left short without "Amazing" Watkins

There was often frustration around Duran’s place on the Aston Villa bench in what handed Emery the ultimate luxury. Now that luxury is gone, however, the Spaniard would likely love to have that selection headache back amid Watkins’ ill-timed injury. Instantly forced to shoehorn players into the role, Villa must hope to get the best out of the likes of Rashford and Malen.

Rashford is a particularly interesting option. Ask many and the answer will be that he is best off the left-hand side rather than leading the line, but once again he may have little choice to do exactly that this weekend.

Emery will be well aware of just how big a miss Watkins is going to be too, having dubbed the Aston Vila star “amazing” earlier this season. Forced to cope without his £130k-a-week forward and Duran nonetheless, the Spaniard must hope to see his January arrivals instantly flourish.