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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is expecting to have Aston Villa pair Emi Buendia and Emi Martinez for all three World Cup qualifiers during the international break.

And a number of Villa supporters have been quick to give their thoughts to the latest update on social media.

Villa released a statement over the weekend regarding Buendia and Martinez, claiming the pair would be available for matches against Venezuela and Brazil but not a third against Bolivia.

The arrangements Villa thought they had agreed on would mean both would miss one Premier League game against Chelsea due to quarantine restrictions.

However, Scaloni, talking to the media, posted on Twitter by Roy Nemer, believes he will have both Buendia and Martinez available for selection for all three qualifiers.

“We gave the list for the three matches and there’s no doubt about it. The players are here for the three matches.”

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Scaloni’s comments on Twitter regarding the Villa duo on Wednesday evening. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many not exactly thrilled.

“This could get nasty”

Credit: @SebastianBacon8

“Selfish beyond belief”

Credit: @MisterGuilbert

“Welp”

Credit: @LionsVilla

“oh crikey”

Credit: @tiwari0216

“Very poor from Argentina if they’ve already gone back on the agreement.”

Credit: @JonahB90

“What a terrible manager and a coach to put two of his players in such a position.”

Credit: @deanmoulder

In other news: ‘Not happy with this’ – Many AVFC fans react as news is confirmed.

Southampton extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games following their 0-0 draw with West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Saints worked hard defensively to ensure that they came away with at least a point, as they kept the likes of Michail Antonio – who was sent off late in the game – and Jarrod Bowen at bay.

Whilst there were some strong performers on the day, with the likes of Jack Stephens, Alex McCarthy and Mohammed Salisu impressing at the back, there were also some disappointing showings. One player, in particular, who struggled against David Moyes’ side was Norweigan international Mo Elyounoussi.

Ralph Hasenhuttl ditched his favoured 4-2-2-2 formation to line up with a 4-1-4-1, opting to select Elyounoussi as one of his two central midfielders – alongside James Ward-Prowse – ahead of Oriol Romeu in the holding midfield position.

Unfortunately, the 27-year-old – who was on loan at Celtic last season – was unable to showcase his quality in a new position. He was given the lowest SofaScore rating (6.1) out of the 22 starters in the game, as he failed to adapt to playing centrally instead of in his more natural wide role in the side.

Defensively, he offered almost nothing. Per SofaScore, he made zero tackles, blocks or interceptions in 90 minutes on the pitch. He was also dribbled past twice and lost a whopping 85% of his duels, losing nine of his 10 battles on the ground and two of his three in the air.

This suggests that he was not up to the physical battle in the middle of the park as West Ham’s players dominated him in one-on-one duels. He needed to be stronger  in order to either retain possession for Southampton or win the ball back, rather than being a liability by allowing the Hammers to consistently come out on top in battles.

Offensively, he did not fare much better either. Per SofaScore, Elyounoussi had fewer touches (33) than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (41) and he lost possession 11 times from those 33 touches. This means that he gave the ball away once every three touches, which shows that he was not secure enough with the ball at his feet to be effective in midfield for Hasenhuttl’s team – only creating one chance all game.

The Austrian head coach put his faith in Elyounoussi by deploying him in a brand-new role, but the dud let him down with his performance. He offered next-to-nothing defensively and was not up to the physical challenge of playing in the engine room against West Ham, which is why Hasenhuttl will surely be disappointed with his performance.

AND in other news, “That’s his level” – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on Southampton ace after transfer claim…

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans were less than impressed with midfielder Alex Pritchard following his display as The Black Cats ran out 2-1 winners against Lincoln City on Tuesday evening.

Lee Johnson’s side, looking to respond after Saturday’s disappointing 4-0 away defeat to Portsmouth, began their defence of the Papa John’s Trophy in perfect fashion.

February’s semi-final of the same competition last season saw Sunderland beat Lincoln in a penalty shoot out to send them to the final – ultimately going on to win the trophy.

On Tuesday evening, they continued their recent run of form against The Imps with a 2-1 away victory – kicking off Group F with all three points.

Goals in either half from Daniel Neill and Stephen Wearne put Johnson’s men in cruise control before Lewis Montsma grabbed a late consolation strike in added time.

After what was a solid away performance, one man who certainly didn’t attract many plaudits was midfielder Pritchard as supporters pointed out his lacklustre display.

Losing possession 17 times on the night, the 28-year-old also didn’t manage any shots on target or successful completed dribbles (SofaScore) – leaving little wonder why many fans weren’t impressed.

Find all of their verdicts on the player from Twitter down below.

Sunderland fans slam Pritchard…

“Can someone tell Pritchard we are playing in yellow tonight.”

Credit: @bradsafc

“Pritchard stunk the place out”

Credit: @TommySheerin

“sorry but harris deserves to stay on more than pritchard like, be woeful pritchy”

Credit: @safckeaton

“There’s nothing too him sadly he’s just very small and that’s about it doesn’t take anyone on”

Credit: @HirsteeSAFC

“He’s dreadful. Not even good enough for league 1.”

Credit: @SunlunAdam

“Decent display from the lads tonight. Encouraged by Hume looking solid, and all the young lads putting a shift in. Dan Neil an absolute cut above everyone. Bit silly putting LO’N for the final few minutes, fingers crossed nowt serious (knock to back). Pritchard was poor.”

Credit: @AS90__

“As positive as tonight has been, Pritchard has been absolutely dire. Hasn’t completed one forward pass and has had three shots that have all disturbed air traffic.”

Credit: @Joel_Gradwell

“Pritchard the worst midfielder I have seen since Jeff Whitley”

Credit: @Rye_Moran

Paddy Kenny says he wouldn’t be surprised if Newcastle had to ‘balance the books’ through player sales following the signing of Joe Willock.

The former Sheffield United and Leeds United goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Newcastle sealed their first signing of the summer on Friday, capturing ‘number one target’ Willock for a fee of around £25m – believed to be the second-highest transfer outlay in the club’s history behind Joelinton.

It had been reported that the Magpies were working with a ‘meagre’ transfer budget this summer amid Mike Ashley’s ongoing attempts to sell the club.

According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, there are ‘whispers’ that the Willock deal may have been financed independently. Steve Bruce would still like two more signings, with a ‘no 6’ and a centre-back on the list. The transfer window is open until 11pm on August 31.

The latest

Kenny has said that Newcastle can’t invest £25m in the carefree manner of their Premier League rivals and that players may duly need to be moved on in the next couple of weeks.

He told Football Insider: “Whether they sell players depends on the financial situation there at Newcastle.

“It seems like a huge amount of money for them, that fee. But to everyone else in the league that’s peanuts.

“That just goes to show you the way Mike Ashley runs the club. It wouldn’t surprise me if he does get players out the door to balance the books.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the takeover stuff as well because that could have an impact.”

The verdict

Who might Newcastle sell to recoup some of that outlay? Sean Longstaff could be a candidate, having been left out of the starting line-up by Bruce on 23 occasions last season, while former Magpies boss Rafael Benitez is believed to be interested in a reunion with the midfielder at Everton.

Longstaff may be into the final year of his contract, but as a talented young Englishman he should still be able to fetch in excess of £10m, so he might be a prime candidate to be sold if, as Kenny suspects, Newcastle are compelled to trim their squad to make back the fee they paid for Willock.

In other news, Newcastle are said to be on the verge of completing this transfer.

Many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing over the emergence of their new Umbro third kit.

The London Stadium faithful launched an announcement video on their official Twitter page, with players like Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and Issa Diop all modelling the new kit.

It is now available to buy on the East London club’s website, boasting a predominantly dark blue colour with claret lines at the end of the sleeves and around the neckline.

The launch of the new kit has brought a lot of excitement to Hammers supporters, as they know that the new 2021/22 season is not far away now, in where they will be playing in the UEFA Europa League as well as the Premier League and domestic cup competitions.

West Ham fans on third kit

These Irons buzzed as the new kit was launched on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘lovely’:

“This is beautiful”

Credit: @StefGoodridge

“Oh that is lovely”

Credit: @_thejacobc_

“Gorgeous”

Credit: @WestHamThai

“Can’t wait to purchase this.”

Credit: @RJournoThompson

“Ooooo hello . How have a our last two third kits been our best kits of the season!  This is very nice though.”

Credit: @c_woodgate93

“I love my club”

Credit: @ellmma_

In other news, find out what Manuel Lanzini update has WHU fans ecstatic here!

Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that he expects Southampton to be planning for life with James Ward-Prowse.

Ward-Prowse has been the subject of heavy interest from Villa this summer, with Sky Sports claiming last month that the Midlands club had a £25m bid turned down for the Southampton captain.

Villa have already raided Southampton in this transfer window, snapping up striker Danny Ings to bolster their forward line.

However, while not completely ruling it out, Hatfield would not be shocked to see the Saints prevent an Ings and Ward-Prowse reunion from taking place at Villa Park.

“All of the noises coming out of Southampton and those close to the club seem to suggest that he’s not for sale,” the Express & Star reporter said.

“If Villa put enough money on the table to get them talking, then anything can happen. But for now, I think Southampton are planning for life with James Ward-Prowse in their squad.”

You would have to imagine that Southampton would be even more reluctant to sell Ward-Prowse to Villa after handing them over Ings.

The Villans are the kind of club Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will surely be trying to hunt down and overtake this season, so strengthening them further would be a very counterproductive move to say the least.

Former Manchester City defender Steve Howey believes playing in La Liga would suit Bernardo Silva. 

The £63m-rated 27-year-old joined City from Monaco in 2017 and has featured in over 200 games for the club. In his time at the Etihad Stadium, Silva has scored 35 goals and assisted a further 44.

Bernardo has also helped the Cityzens win a plethora of trophies in his time at the Etihad. The club have won four successive Carabao Cups, three Premier League titles, two Community Shields and an FA Cup.

Whilst he has been highly successful in his time with City, it appears he could be looking for a fresh challenge as Pep Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News: “He’s our player. Not just Bernardo, there are two, three or four players that want to leave but they are our players under contract and when they bring some offer and their agents come here and they want to leave we are open to discuss absolutely everything, but it depends on them.”

Mundo Deportivo reported earlier this month that both Spanish giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid were interested in the Portuguese international, with former City assistant manager and now Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also interested in Bernardo according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

Bernardo doesn’t appear to be short of options should he choose to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer, but Steve Howey believes a move to La Liga would suit the playmaker, telling Transfer Tavern: “You’ve seen his performances whilst he’s been at City, you know, a fantastic player. I think technically, playing in La Liga would probably suit him as well, so I think it could be a move which could suit all parties, but ultimately, only if Man City get the money that they want for him.”

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham would bring both experience and quality to Goodison Park, says former Everton defender Michael Ball.

Everton are one club who are currently being linked with Abraham, with 90min recently reporting that the Toffees are interested in signing him this summer.

He is currently with the Chelsea squad in Ireland for pre-season, but his future at Stamford Bridge still looks far from certain.

Under Thomas Tuchel last term, 6 ft 3 Abraham made just three league starts, firmly out of the German’s first-team plans.

It means a move could now be on the cards for the forward, and a transfer to Everton is something Ball can easily get behind.

Speaking exclusively to TT, the retired full-back said:

“I think Tammy’s got that experience already as a young kid. I think he’s only 23.

“He’s getting properly touted about, different swap deals for [Erling] Haaland, and Arsenal are looking at him. So it shows you the quality he has when top teams like that are showing interest in you.”

Indeed, at 23, Abraham already has a lot of experience. He has made close to 90 appearances in the Premier League, as well as just under 80 in the Championship, so that is definitely one thing he would bring to this Everton side.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Ekrem Konur has made an 11-word West Ham United transfer claim involving Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham.

The Lowdown: Abraham on the radar…

The former Aston Villa loanee has been heavily linked with a move to the London Stadium since before the start of this transfer window.

ExWHUemployee namedropped the 23-year-old as one of the forwards on GSB’s original summer shortlist alongside the likes of Youssef En-Nesyri, Ivan Toney and Adam Armstrong.

Links to Abraham then appeared to die down for a while, but Konur has brought a fresh update with his 11-word claim.

The Latest: Konur drops West Ham claim…

Giving an update on the striker’s future, the journalist says that Villa have made a €45m (£38.6m) offer to sign Abraham but the Hammers shouldn’t be ruled out of contention just yet.

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Dropping his 11-word claim, Konur stated: “West Ham are also keeping a close eye on Tammy Abraham.”

What comes in terms of a pursuit or offer remains to be seen, but the Irons may have to intervene with a bid of their own if they’re still truly serious about the player.

The Verdict: Odds stacked up…

We believe that signing Abraham should be put on the backburner given his price tag and the fact that David Moyes claimed West Ham wouldn’t be able to make a huge bid. 

Described as ‘phenomenal’ by pundit Alex McLeish in an interview with Football Insider, the 23-year-old’s goal record over the last two seasons has been noteworthy despite his lack of game time in 2020/21.

Since the start of 2019/20, Abraham has bagged 21 league goals and four assists in 37 starts, a fairly consistent return and one which points to a capable attacker (WhoScored).

The odds appear to be stacked against West Ham in the race for Abraham, though, and Moyes could be best suited looking at other targets.

In other news: ‘Concerning West Ham’…Italian journalist makes transfer claim involving ‘amazing’ ace, find out more here.

Sunderland have received a boost in their quest to sign St Johnstone youngster Ali McCann this summer, with Hull City unlikely to snap him up.

The Lowdown: Sunderland interested in signing McCann

Lee Johnson will be looking to delve into the transfer market in the coming weeks as his Black Cats side prepare for another League One promotion push.

One player with whom Sunderland have been linked is McCann, who made his mark for St Johnstone last season, registering two goals and two assists in the Scottish Premiership.

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The Latest: Black Cats given boost

The Black Cats have received a boost in their efforts to acquire the 21-year-old’s signature, with The 72 claiming that Hull are now unlikely to sign him. That is due to a lack of transfer funds, meaning the Championship club may have to bring in players on loan or for free instead.

However, Swansea City and Stoke City are both thought to still be in the race to sign McCann, so Sunderland will have to work hard to get their man.

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The Verdict: Snap him up, Sunderland

McCann is an exciting young player but he already has a wealth of experience, having appeared 84 times for St Johnstone in all competitions and being hailed as “undroppable” by team-mate Jason Holt.

He has also won six caps for Northern Ireland, scoring once, and his quality in attacking midfield could provide extra guile in the final third for Sunderland.

Johnson’s side isn’t far away from returning to the Championship, as illustrated by a couple of play-off near misses, but someone of McCann’s precocious quality could help take them to the next level.

In other news, some Sunderland fans have been reacting to a club announcement. Read more here.