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Aston Villa wasted a plethora of chances against Chelsea last weekend and with Steven Gerrard’s job potentially on the line, he should unleash rarely-seen Cameron Archer from the start against Fulham on Thursday.

The Villans fell to a 2-0 defeat against Graham Potter’s side despite having an xG score of 2.45, with a combination of poor finishing and impressive goalkeeping ensuring that Gerrard’s side would once again fail to find the back of the net.

Villa have managed just seven goals from their opening ten Premier League fixtures – the joint-second worst in the division – which suggests that it is time for Gerrard to look for different options in his attack.

Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have scored only one goal each so far this season so it is surely time to see Archer get a start, with the 20-year-old having been limited to brief substitute appearances so far this season despite seven goals in the Championship for Preston North End and four in the League Cup for Villa last term.

During his time with Preston, he won the praise of manager Ryan Lowe, who said:

“His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too.”

Gerrard has already confirmed that Archer will return to the squad after missing the game against Chelsea through illness, saying:

“Cameron Archer’s back today! He’s going to be travelling with us with the squad tomorrow. He’s over his little bug.

“The team news is the same as it was. We’ve had a couple of knocks and tightness from the game but I think they’ll pull through this morning. Cam has trained the last few days and he’ll come back into the squad.

“He’s going to be needed as well because the thing that’s missing from our performances and being so close at the moment is putting the ball in the net. To have him available and to have another option is big.”

Archer certainly showed last season that he knows where the back of the net is and with four goals in two professional starts for Villa he has certainly earned a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League.

If he can score the goals that Villa need on Thursday night, it might just keep Gerrard in the job that little bit longer, with reports suggesting that a poor result in Craven Cottage could spell the end for the Liverpool legend at Villa Park.

Newcastle United journalist Chris Waugh is delighted to see striker Callum Wilson sign a new contract at the club. 

The lowdown

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on Monday that Wilson had penned a two-year extension with the option for a further 12 months.

The Englishman, who joined from Bournemouth in 2020, now ranks among the club’s highest earners.

Newcastle plan to adjust Wilson’s training schedule ‘to try to keep him fit for longer’ and hope that he can mentor the club’s younger forwards.

The latest

Waugh took to Twitter on Monday morning to offer his reaction to the big development out of St James’ Park.

He called it ‘hugely positive news’ for the Magpies, who have something else to celebrate hot on the heels of a 4-1 win over Fulham at the weekend.

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The verdict

In some respects, this decision might be surprising.

Wilson, after all, has suffered badly with injuries, missing 42 matches in two-and-a-bit seasons since he made his move.

And in summer signing Alexander Isak, Newcastle would appear to have already recruited a long-term successor to the 30-year-old.

But ultimately, Wilson’s enduring quality shines through.

In 50 appearances for the club, he’s scored 23 goals and provided five assists – a very impressive return.

He’s sufficiently prolific when he does play to justify an extension, even if it remains a gamble given the money involved.

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita’s future remains in doubt, with talks over a new deal currently at a standstill, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg.

The Lowdown: Keita reportedly unhappy

The Reds face Manchester United in a huge Premier League game on Monday night, and one player who will hope to feature at Old Trafford is Keita, having opened the scoring in the 5-0 rout in this fixture last season.

The Guinean is reportedly unhappy with his lack of playing time recently, though, and while Jurgen Klopp wants him to stay at Anfield, it has been suggested that the 27-year-old could move on this summer.

Keita’s current contract expires in 2023, at which point he would be able to leave Liverpool on a free transfer, having signed for £52.75m four years ago.

The Latest: Keita contract latest

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Sky journalist Plettenberg claimed that the 27-year-old’s potential involvement against United could prove crucial to his future, with no progress being made over a new deal as of yet.

He outlined:

“Update #Keita: Very important game against @ManUtd regarding his plans in this transfer window. Nothing has changed. #LFC wants to extend, Klopp wants him to stay. But talks have stopped, an agreement is not in sight at this stage. He wants to play regularly.”

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The Verdict: Don’t sell him

Unless Liverpool have a tailor-made replacement lined up, it makes absolutely no sense to sell Keita this summer, especially with Thiago currently out injured and midfield a general area of concern.

The 27-year-old remains an impressive footballer when fully fit and in form – Virgil van Dijk has called him ‘world-class’ in the past – and he is someone who will hopefully end up extending his stay.

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Only Kostas Tsimikas won more tackles per game than Keita at Anfield last season, while Fabinho was the only midfielder to outscore him, so the African can be an important figure in terms of breaking up the play and making an impact in the final third.

Granted, the Guinean has underwhelmed at times, mainly due to injuries. However, unlike youngsters Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, and elder statesmen Jordan Henderson and James Milner, he is at a peak age footballing age, and a start at Old Trafford tonight could ease the whole situation.

Manchester United have been ’offered’ the chance to sign Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Morata’s career

Morata, now 29, has turned out for some of Europe’s biggest clubs after progressing through Real Madrid’s academy.

The Spain international has played alongside a plethora of world-class players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and soon-to-be United man Casemiro, scoring 164 senior goals for club and country.

The forward has commanded transfer fees totalling £170m throughout his career, and it looks as if he could be on the move again late in the summer window.

The Latest: Romano’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Romano said that United have been ‘offered’ Morata’s services, along with Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauro Icardi and Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic.

“All of these players have been offered to Man United, and I think it’s normal for agents to work like this. They wanted Marko Arnautovic, then the deal collapsed, so now they are in the market for a striker – but at the moment, still nothing decided.”

The Verdict: Striker needed?

Erik ten Hag only has Ronaldo and Anthony Martial as central attacking options, so it could be wise for the club to bring in another forward before the September 1 deadline, especially with Ronaldo’s future still up in the air.

Morata has previous experience of the Premier League with Chelsea, scoring 16 times in 47 appearances, so if the price is right, could be a shrewd signing.

He’d provide further experience in the spine of the team, something that appears needed following a woeful start to the current campaign, so this could be one to monitor over the coming days.

Liverpool got most of their transfer incomings done quickly this summer but have been confirming a number of Anfield exits throughout, and one source has now given an update on the next player who could be departing Merseyside.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian journalist and transfer insider Pedro Almeida, Roberto Firmino has almost completed a €22m (£18.4m) move to Juventus.

Almeida tweeted: “Roberto #Firmino to Juventus from Liverpool is almost done, the offer of Italian club is clear, 22M€ by the player. #Juventus”

Supporters will be gutted

There is no doubt that Liverpool supporters will be gutted if the ongoing speculation is true about Firmino’s exit from Merseyside, as the player has become a fan favourite at the club since joining from Hoffenheim in 2015.

The Brazilian has been a key player in Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Anfield, playing a huge part in the Reds claiming their first Premier League title, also winning the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Firmino has scored 98 goals and delivered 74 assists over 327 appearances in red, with a goal contribution return of one every 136 minutes showing that he is a reliable and consistent performer in the team.

With Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino already leaving the club this summer, it doesn’t make sense for Liverpool to let go of one of their most experienced forwards in the squad, with Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho only joining this summer and Luis Diaz signing in January.

The Liverpool manager is a big fan of the club’s number nine and has lavished praise on his player on many occasions, even claiming that people “will write books” about Firmino.

Klopp gushed: “Mo gets a lot of attention and rightly so. But Bobby, for people with football knowledge, I’m pretty sure when he finishes playing people will write books about the way he interpreted the false-nine position.”

With that in mind, it would be a shock if Liverpool let Firmino leave this summer, despite the player now being in the final 12 months of his contract. He is an experienced and proven operator who can offer the club and his manager the quality that they need if they are to continue challenging for trophies next season.

AND in other news: Klopp can land his ideal Firmino replacement with £34m bid for “high-level” star

West Ham United are now eyeing a move for Hoffenheim left-back David Raum as The Times share a significant transfer update out of east London.

The Lowdown: Hammers in hunt…

As per reliable reports, manager David Moyes and the Hammers hierarchy have adopted a scattergun approach to this summer window as they remain in discussions with a number of players.

Journalist Jacque Talbot recently claimed that Gianluca Scamacca, Armando Broja and Amadou Onana are all in simultaneous talks with West Ham and reports have also emerged over Jesse Lingard in the last few days.

Amid this plethora of transfer activity, Moyes apparently wants to reinforce the left-back position too.

The Latest: West Ham hold Raum talks…

Big name newspaper outlet The Times, sharing news in the last 48 hours, have made a claim involving Bundesliga standout Raum.

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Indeed, according to their sources, West Ham have ‘held talks’ over signing the Hoffenheim star as a possible long-term successor to Aaron Cresswell at full-back.

However, GSB and co may have to significantly invest given Raum is valued at around £33 million by his club.

The Verdict: Get it done…

As explained by German football expert Stefan Bienkowski, the 24-year-old has ‘become one of the best wing-backs in the Bundesliga’ and there is currently ‘a lot of hype’ about his abilities.

Taking this into account, £33m could even be seen as a steal for a player who’s been capped by Germany and would come with such a glowing reputation, racking up 11 Bundesliga assists last season.

As Cresswell approaches the twilight phase of his career, it is clear that Raum stands out as a serious candidate to succeed the Englishman.

In addition to Newcastle United’s deals for Nick Pope and Sven Botman, there have been numerous transactions taking place at this stage of the summer transfer window across the Premier League.

Some of these other deals include Erling Haaland’s move to Manchester City and Richarlison’s switch from Everton to Tottenham Hotspur.

Another big transfer which took place in the past few weeks saw Liverpool break their club record fee to bring Darwin Nunez to Anfield from Benfica for £85m.

After scoring 34 goals in 41 appearances last season, it’s easy to see why the Reds chose to spend such a hefty amount of their budget on bringing the Uruguayan attacker to Merseyside.

Looking at what the Magpies could still do in terms of their recruitment before the window shuts, the Toon could well end up starting the next Premier League campaign with their own version of Nunez in the squad.

In recent days, Newcastle have been linked with a move for PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke.

In 114 appearances for the club across their senior and youth teams, the Englishman has scored 36 goals and delivered 27 assists along the way. This shows the clear attacking talent that he has and illustrates why he would be an exciting addition to Newcastle’s squad this summer.

In terms of Nunez, the new Liverpool attacker is included on a list of similar players to Madueke according to Football Transfers.

To further highlight what sort of player the 20-year-old is, journalist John Bunting had this to say about him on Twitter:  “Noni Madueke is a terrific player he’s put PSV ahead against NAC Breda, love his game awareness , yes he’s quick and direct and on the ball terrific but for such a young player he’s got a lot of football intelligence, just knows what to do when he picks up the ball, entertaining.”

With Nunez being described by Virgil van Dijk as “very direct and quick, tall and strong,” as well as being “quite difficult to play against”, this shows how similar the two players are.

If the Toon want to join the likes of Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham in adding a new attacker to their squad this summer, then securing a deal for Madueke could be the best way forward for them.

AND in other news: PIF plotting bid for £211k-p/w target who terrified Verratti, imagine him & Saint-Maximin

Reliable journalist Graeme Bailey has dropped a Liverpool transfer twist regarding the future of Sadio Mane.  

The Lowdown: Mane wants Bayern move

The Senegalese star is one of the current squad’s longest-serving players since making the switch to Anfield from fellow Premier League side Southampton six years ago, becoming a fan favourite in the iconic front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

However, as a result of only having just over 12 months remaining on his current contract on Merseyside, the 30-year-old’s future has been very much up in the air in recent weeks.

The forward reportedly wants to push for a move to Bayern Munich while the press in Germany believe a deal to join the Bundesliga champions is only a matter of time.

The Latest: Liverpool would be happy to keep him

In Bailey’s new column for 90min, it’s claimed that Liverpool have told both Mane and Bayern that they will ‘keep hold’ of the striker this transfer window ‘unless their valuation is met’.

The source states that the Bundesliga giants have already had two official bids ‘rejected’ for their target, the second being ‘worth up to £30m’, but the Reds want no less than £40m with extra add-ons.

The article reads that sources from both clubs are still ‘confident’ that the deal will happen, but that Jurgen Klopp’s men are ‘prepared’ to welcome the 89-cap international ‘back into their squad’ next season, regardless of Darwin Nunez’s arrival.

The Verdict: Time to let him go

If Mane were to end up staying at Liverpool, Klopp would have Nunez, Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Firmino and youngster Fabio Carvalho all available for selection alongside him as attacking options.

The £200k-per-week gem was unquestionably a standout performer last season, having scored 23 goals and provided five assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, but as prolific as he is, the boss won’t want to have someone in his starting XI when he knows that’s not truly where he desires to be.

It’s hard to imagine Mane having a change of heart in the coming weeks so it’s probably the best option for the club to let him go and give the new players a chance to shine – after all, they are the ones who will become the future of Liverpool in years to come.

In other news… Fabrizio Romano has shared Takumi Minamino’s Liverpool exit ‘talks’.

Out-of-favour Celtic centre-back Christopher Jullien will be sold by the club this summer, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Jullien’s lack of playing time

The 29-year-old has been dogged by injury problems during his time at Parkhead, which has stunted his development hugely since arriving in 2019.

In fact, Jullien was limited to just one Scottish Cup appearance in the entire 2021/22 season, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers the first-choice centre-back pairing.

The Frenchman’s current deal at Celtic expires next year and it looks likely that he will leave this summer.

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The Latest: Summer exit predicted for Jullien

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that he fully expects Jullien to move on from Glasgow this summer, claiming that Ange Postecoglou would be happy to sell the defender. The 62-year-old stated:

“It’s clear that Ange doesn’t like him [Jullien]. There were so many games to play last season and he never got a look in, that tells me he’s pretty much finished at Celtic.

“Carter-Vickers and Starfelt played every game. I think one of them needs a big, powerful defender to partner them at the back and you would think Jullien fits that mould.

“But he hasn’t played and it doesn’t sound like he’s injured again so Ange clearly doesn’t like him as a player. I expect he will leave this summer because Ange won’t keep anyone who isn’t contributing.”

The Verdict: Ideal time to leave

It is a shame how Jullien’s Celtic career has panned out overall – Neil Lennon once hailed him as ‘excellent’ – with the defender powerless to do anything about his constant injury issues over the years.

However, he is surely now surplus to requirements at Parkhead and it makes complete sense for him to leave this summer, giving the Hoops the chance to receive a fee for his services and him the chance to revive his career elsewhere.

If not, Jullien would be allowed to leave for free in 2023, which wouldn’t be beneficial for Celtic in the slightest. It therefore suits all parties to secure his exit imminently, if indeed a prospective suitor emerges.

In other news, a journalist has provided a key Celtic transfer update. Read more here.

Rangers suffered an agonising defeat on penalties in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, and the players will now have to regroup ahead of today’s Scottish Cup final.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst could make a few changes as the Ibrox club look to end their 13-year wait to lift the domestic knockout trophy, although one player is definitely out of the Hampden Park clash.

Borna Barisic will be missing for the match due to an injury sustained against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, as Van Bronckhorst confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday: “Borna is not available for tomorrow, all other players who featured are available.”

This will result in a tactical change from the manager, as with the Croatian missing, Calvin Bassey will be required to revert to the left-back spot, which will open up a berth at the heart of defence.

With first-team mainstay Connor Goldson being more or less certain of a place, it will be up to the Dutchman to pick between Leon Balogun or give 18-year-old Leon King a start in a major cup final.

Rangers will miss Barisic

Whilst Barisic hasn’t been up to his usual high standards this term (his Sofascore rating in the Premiership is 7.29, compared to 7.4 last season), his absence will nonetheless be a big blow to Rangers’ chances of winning the trophy. His attacking threat is always a bonus, as he offers excellent support to Ryan Kent on the left-hand side.

As per WhoScored, only James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos have exceeded the Croatian’s 1.9 key passes per game in the Premiership among Van Bronckhorst’s starters this season, while just four Gers players had more than his three assists in the league.

With there being transfer interest for Barisic during the January window, this season could be his last at the club. It would be a shame if the Europa League final defeat is his final match for the Ibrox giants, and his manager will no doubt be gutted not to have the 29-year-old’s creative spark to call upon today.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must unleash “invaluable” £26k-p/w “Duracell bunny”, Rangers need him