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Aston Villa: Villans finalise contract talks with “amazing” first-team star

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Aston Villa: Villans finalise contract talks with “amazing” first-team star

BYDOMINIC LUND

Unai Emery is set to reward one of his key players with a new deal.

Aston Villa have now finalized contract talks with one of their key players, who has signed a new deal with a big pay increase, a report has revealed.

Which Aston Villa players are signing new contracts?

Back in the summer, it was reported that Ollie Watkins was set to be offered fresh terms at Villa Park, having impressed manager Unai Emery, however the striker is yet to commit to a new deal, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2025.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested Watkins could emerge as an option for Chelsea in the January transfer window, should Villa fail to tie him down to a new deal, and he is not the only player linked with a move to another Premier League club.

Arsenal have long been interested in a move for Douglas Luiz, having failed to sign him in the past, but the Villans are in a strong negotiating position, as the Brazilian is currently contracted until the summer of 2026, meaning they can hold out for a huge offer.

Luiz signed a new long-term deal last October, and Aston Villa have now moved onto Ezra Konsa, with The Daily Mail reporting this week they had entered contract talks with the defender.

As a reward for his fine form since Emery took over as manager, the centre-back is apparently getting a big pay increase, with the new terms moving him closer to Villa’s top pay bracket, and it seems the deal has now been completed.

The club announced the breakthrough in talks on Wednesday evening – not long after the initial report – as they have already completed the deal with the promising defender, locking him up to a “long term” new deal.

Reporter Tom Collomosse, who also asked the question of an England call-up for Konsa, shared further details on the deal on X, confirming the previous reports of a big pay hike: “Konsa signs new Villa deal. Five years, significant pay rise.”

Will Ezri Konsa be called up by England?

England manager Gareth Southgate has received criticism from the media for a perceived “big club bias”, having stuck by Harry Maguire during the most recent international break, despite the 30-year-old making just one appearance so far this season.

Fikayo Tomori has also found it difficult to get a look in with England, having made just three appearances for the Three Lions, even though he has been a regular in the Milan starting XI, recently playing the entire 90 minutes against Newcastle United in the Champions League.

ezri-konsa-aston-villa

As such, it is no real surprise than Konsa has been overlooked by Southgate, but he has proven he is worthy of a call-up, featuring in every Premier League game en-route to Villa qualifying for the Europa Conference League last season.

Having been lauded as “amazing” by members of the media, it is fantastic news that the defender has now signed a new contract, regardless of whether he comes into Southgate’s thinking any time soon.

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Dominic is a Sports Journalism graduate from the University of Huddersfield in 2022, achieving a first-class honours degree.
Since leaving university, Dominic has written for websites including Give me spor, Football Fan AST, Transfer Tavern and Sports Mole.

Dominic previously worked in the media team for FC Halifax Town.

Newcastle: Howe could ditch Tonali for ‘elegant’ academy star

BYROBBIE WALLS

The Magpies’ marquee summer signing has not quite had the desired impact in recent weeks.

As Newcastle United marked their return to the Champions League with a commendable goalless draw away to AC Milan on Tuesday evening, it proved to be a relatively unhappy return to San Siro for Magpies midfielder, Sandro Tonali.

How did Tonali perform against AC Milan?

Signed from the Serie A giants on a £55m deal this summer, the Italy international was the most high-profile addition of the window for Eddie Howe’s side, with the Tynesiders looking to kick on from their impressive fourth-place finish last term.

Despite the excitement surrounding the prospect of partnering the 23-year-old alongside Bruno Guimaraes in the centre of the park, it has not been the dream start for the playmaker thus far, even after netting on debut in the 5-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The one-time Brescia maestro subsequently started in the defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion – while being substituted in all three – having also sat out the recent win over Brentford, in preparation for the return to work

That ‘homecoming’ did not go smoothly, however, with Tonali ‘rather useless in possession as he failed to pose a threat to his former team’ – according to GOAL’s Peter McVitie – with his lack of impact showcased by the fact that he made just 20 touches in his 72-minute outing, while also losing the ball on nine occasions.

Having also committed four fouls and won just one of his six total duels, as per Sofa Score, it may be time for Howe to consider shaking things up by removing his new man from the side, as ‘midfield questions continue to be asked’ – according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder.

Who could replace Tonali?

Against Stefano Pioli’s side, the northeast side had lined up with a midfield trio of Sean Longstaff, Guimaraes and Tonali, prior to the latter man being withdrawn in the closing stages in favour of promising youngster, Elliot Anderson.

Sandro Tonali’s game by numbers vs AC Milan
72 minutes played
20 touches
7/10 passes completed
9x possession lost
1/6 duels won
4 fouls
0 key passes
1 shot blocked
6.4 match rating (worst of any starting player)

Stats via Sofascore 

The former Bristol Rovers loanee – who has been likened to Paul Gascoigne in the past – has featured in every game so far this term and even started against the Bees at the weekend, having been handed his chance amid injuries to the likes of Joe Willock and Joel into.

With 35 first-team appearances under his belt for the St James’ Park outfit, the 20-year-old does only have a solitary assist and no goals to show for it thus far, ensuring that he still has work to do to establish himself as a regular fixture in the side.

The Whitley Bay-born starlet – who has courted the attention of both England and Scotland at senior international level – is not the only academy asset who could be worthy of a chance to shine, however, with young Lewis Miley also a figure that Howe may look to despite his relative youth.

Who is Lewis Miley?

Rather than turning out for Newcastle’s U19s in the UEFA Youth League, the 17-year-old was included as part of the match day squad for the senior side’s trip to Milan, showcasing just how highly regarded he is by Howe and his staff.

While the teenager was not able to get on the pitch for the midweek clash, he has already made his senior debut after coming on as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw away to Chelsea on the final day of last season.

That promotion to the first-team set-up has been warranted amid the youngster’s fine displays in the youth ranks in recent times, having notably contributed seven goals and assists in just 13 appearances for the club’s U21 side.

The England U19 international – whose brother Jamie is also on the books at St James’ Park – was rewarded for such form after being handed his first professional contract back in May, having even featured for Howe’s side during the World Cup break last year against Riyadh.

Such great strides would suggest that Miley is not too far away from being given a proper chance to prove himself at first-team level, with the likes of Tonali – and Anderson – needing to watch out as their starting berths could be under threat sooner rather than later.

How good is Lewis Miley?

The fact that at 17 the Englishman is already in the manager’s thinking is a clear indication of his talent, with respected insider Ryder having previously hailed the academy star as a player who has “bags of potential”, following the announcement of his new deal.

Young Miley was also the recipient of hefty praise from Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope after starting in the pre-season friendly clash with Chelsea back in July, with the reporter providing a glowing review of his performance in that 1-1 stalemate:

“Lewis Miley has been Newcastle’s best player so far. And that isn’t in the context of him only being 17 years old. He’s just simply been their best player. So elegant on the ball & brave in how he uses it.”

A silky and classy operator in possession, the Stanley-born sensation could offer a real creative spark to the Magpies as a link between the midfield and attack, with journalist Mark Caruthers having hailed the emerging superstar as “a powerful runner, [with] good close control and can pick a pass”.

As Caruthers also stated, it looks as if Newcastle have a “real player” on their hands with regard to the 6 foot 1 maestro, with the wait now on to see if his chance will come in the first-team this season, amid the club’s current midfield woes.

Of course, it would be a gamble to turn to such a raw and youthful talent as the answer to Howe’s concerns in that department, yet the fact that Miley was included for the trip to San Siro shows that he is certainly in the thoughts of the Newcastle boss.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robbie Walls(2702 Articles Published)

Robbie is a content and opinion writer who has been working in the world of football media over the past few years.

Having graduated in 2020, Robbie spent a couple of years working as an intern or in freelance positions across a variety of sites, including 90min and Football Faithful, before joining the team at Snack Media in Spring 2022.

After beginning life at Snack as part of the company’s academy set-up, Robbie was selected to join their flagship website, Football FanCast, as an opinion writer, before going on to rise up through the ranks to now take on an occasional role as sub-editor.

Robbie is a Manchester United fan, but also has a particular fondness for both Celtic and Wycombe Wanderers.

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