Yearly Archives

Aston Villa’s league campaign began in positive fashion with a narrow victory against Bournemouth. Since then, however, the only positives for the team have come in the League Cup.

They have suffered three consecutive matches without a win in the league. Despite this poor form, Villa were able to turn around and secure a 1-0 win against archrivals Birmingham City in the third round of the League Cup. Manager Tim Sherwood says that the team must use this result as a boost in the coming games. Villa have flirted with relegation over the last couple of seasons and Sherwood will want to avoid a repeat of the same at all costs.

Former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson says that his former club should invest in a new striker to play alongside Harry Kane if they are to compete for a top four place in the Premier League.

The club decided to sell more of their high-profile names – Roberto Soldado – to Spanish club Villarreal. The former Valencia forward has been a major disappointment at White Hart Lane after managing only a handful of goals in the last two years. His confidence had hit rock bottom and there appeared no sign of revival. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has decided to place his complete faith in Kane.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards is widely expected to join Aston Villa on a free transfer when his contract expires in a few weeks.

He has taken one parting shot at his current club after saying that they should have retained Roberto Mancini as their manager. The Inter Milan boss led the club to their first Premier League title, but he was sacked from his job in poor conditions. For several days, Mancini was a dead man walking before City confirmed his departure. Apart from the way his exit was handled, Richards also says that the club should not have sacked him in the first place.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards says that he would have left the club a long time ago had it not been for the sudden investment from the Qatari owners.

The investment from the Middle East started to make the club one of best in the world after their arrival in 2008. Richards, who is currently on loan at Fiorentina, says that he could have joined either Chelsea or Manchester United after enormous interest from the duo. However, the sudden increase in wealth meant that City did not have to sell Richards to one of their rivals.

Alberto Aquilani’s future still remains in the speculation since he has not signed a new contract with Fiorentina.

The Italian international will be able to discuss terms with clubs from abroad starting from January 1. He is out of contract at the end of the season. The former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder is showing signs of returning to the kind of form that once made him a £ 20 million man. He moved from Roma to Liverpool for this massive figure, but a succession of injuries and poor form saw the Italian never settle at the club.