Arsenal gives Villa Berge a chance
Arsenal are reportedly reluctant to face Sheffield United’s demands for Norwegian midfielder Sander Berge.
Berge, 23, joined the Blades from Belgian club Genk 18 months ago but is unlikely to start the championship after relegation.
Numerous Premier League clubs have been linked to Berge, most notably Arsenal – although Aston Villa is also reportedly interested.
Backed by billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, Villa already has an impressive transfer window with £ 33million arrivals for Emiliano Buendia and Ashley Young.
Dean Smith is still keen to add offensive talent to his squad, but the possibility of signing another midfielder cannot be ruled out.
Video is loading
Video not available
Click to play
Touch to play
The video will soon start playing automatically8thCancel
Play Now
Villa has already beaten Arsenal against Buendia and could challenge the Gunners for Berge too. The Sheffield Star reports that Arsenal have so far been unwilling to meet the Blades’ £ 35m price for the midfielder.
The report adds that Arsenal believe United are asking too much from Berge, who only played 15 Premier League games due to injury last season.
Incredibly, Sheffield United picked up just one point – a 1-1 draw against Fulham – out of a possible 45 when Berge played in 2020/21.
Despite this pathetic record, the midfielder has earned praise for his performance and could be a good option if Smith decides to expand his midfield.
Whether Arsenal, Villa, or indeed any other Premier League club will happily pay £ 35m for mountains remains to be seen, but the Blades appear to be sticking to their guns and refusing to bring their price down.
Continue reading
On the subject of matching items
Continue reading
On the subject of matching items
City and United will look for Grealish characters
Manchester City and Manchester United will be looking for Jack Grealish to prove he is ready for a transfer this summer.
This is what former Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas says amid ongoing speculation about a link between the Aston Villa talisman and the two Manchester clubs.
After a fabulous season with Villa – albeit after a three-month absence due to injury – big things are expected of the 25-year-old this summer.
However, it was a frustrating start to the tournament for Grealish, who came on as a substitute in the first two games against Croatia and Scotland.
Grealish came off the bench in the second half against Scotland but the pressure is mounting on Gareth Southgate to start him against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Jack Grealish in England’s 0-0 draw against Scotland
(Image: Pool / Getty Images)
Fabregas is a fan of Grealish and put the Villa man in the XI when he was asked to name his English team at the beginning of the tournament.
In his column for the Daily Telegraph, the former Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal wrote: “In the specific case of Grealish, this was his first big season with everyone outside of Aston Villa talking about him.
“I don’t know what his future will be, but it could potentially be a big step for him so he has to show that he is ready for any situation.
“If he’s moved to Manchester City or Manchester United there is no guarantee that Jack Grealish will start every single game and these types of clubs will try to see if he is ready to play.
“It’s similar for [Jadon] Sancho and these players, like him and Grealish, can play very important tournaments for England, even if it is on the bench first. “
We want your views, Villa fans. You can get even more involved in our Aston Villa live coverage by signing up to unlock a variety of additional features – such as commenting and discussing all of our stories, as well as participating in specific questions and answers that you ask Our villa author Ashley Preece can correspond directly about the latest news and transfer talks from Villa Park and elsewhere. Just click here to get started.
Mings admits that the euro bow is the “toughest piece”
Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has revealed he struggled to control his emotions before making his tournament debut with England.
Mings was the beneficiary of Harry Maguire’s pre-tournament injury, with Gareth Southgate appearing as center-back in each of England’s first two games in 2020.
Mings’ standing in Southgate’s plans is just a reward for another impressive season at Villa Park helping his team clear 15 times.
But it was a long way to the top for Mings, who did not play in the league with Chippenham Town before signing for EFL team Ipswich in 2012.
He also had to overcome serious injuries before he found a home at Villa in 2019 and initially helped the club rise before becoming an integral part of Dean Smith’s starting XI in the top division.
Tyrone Mings celebrates with his English teammates after beating Croatia 1-0 at Euro 2020
(Image: Getty Images)
It is no surprise that Mings’ selection in the opening match against Croatia was greeted with great pride by those who accompanied him on his journey.
“It was crazy,” Mings explained. “I had some good times at Wembley with the play-off finals and it’s a place my family has fond memories of now and hopefully we’ll see more during this tournament.
“In the week before the game, it was so hard to control my emotions because my family was sending me happy message videos and looking through old pictures of my sisters standing on the sidelines watching me when I was a kid and then he was Reason for them obviously just incredible.
“Trying to control my emotions was probably the hardest part. We go to the game and the stadium every week, so that’s the easy part. “
