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A number of Aston Villa supporters have laid into Tyrone Mings’ erratic performance in the first half away to Arsenal.

Dean Smith’s side have had a week to reflect on their shock 3-2 defeat at home to Wolves last Saturday, on a day when it looked as though three points were in the bag.

Instead, Villa suffered one of their most disappointing Premier League losses in recent memory.

Smith’s men are back in league action this evening, making the trip to north London to face an Arsenal side still flattering to deceive under Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners were the better team from the off however, and one player who struggled to impress in the opening 45 minutes at the Emirates was Mings.

The England international was diving into tackles, completed a poor 71 per cent of his passes and was eventually booked for a mistimed challenge on Alexandre Lacazette.

Aston Villa fans react to Mings’ first half

These Villa supporters gave their thoughts on Mings’ display on Twitter.

“Mings carries on just like he finished last week”

Credit: @brian_seadon

“Mings try not to hoof the ball challenge!”

Credit: @YoungArevalo

“Mings is struggling”

Credit: @jimmydoris1986

“I love Tyrone Mings but he is TRASH in a back 3”

Credit: @avfcPJR

“Omg Mings no”

Credit: @JamieeAVFC

“Mings is so reckless. Incredibly naive at times “

Credit: @SandbrookNick

In other news, some Villa fans have slammed a piece of Premier League news that has emerged. Read more here.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Mehdi Ghayedi to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Hatam Shiralizadeh (via The Scotsman), with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Celtic have made an official offer to Shabab Al Ahli for the 23-year-old, although the UAE side are believed to have rejected this bid as they do not want to part with the versatile winger this month.

However, Shiralizadeh goes on to state that Ange Postecoglou is desperate to seal a deal for the Iran international before the end of the current transfer window, with Celtic thought to be preparing a second offer for the forward.

In his post, the journalist said: “Shabab Al Ahli have turned down an official bid from Celtic for Mehdi Ghayedi. UAE side don’t want to sell the Iranian striker in January, however, Celtic are determined to sign the young talent, so they are planning to offer a new bid for the 23-year-old.”

“Jota-type trickster”

Despite his tender age and diminutive stature – standing at just 5 foot 5 tall – it is easy to see why Postecoglou is so eager to get a deal over the line for Ghayedi this January.

Indeed, the left-winger – who can also be deployed on the right flank and at centre-forward – already boasts a quite incredible record of goals scored and assists provided in his short professional career, having bagged 41 goals and registered 27 assists over 154 outings for Esteghlal FC, Iranjavan FC and Shabab Al Ahli – directly contributing to a goal every 159 minutes of football played.

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However, it is not only the number of goals that is impressive about the £1.08m-rated forward, but also the quality of his strikes.

Indeed, Ghayedi appears to have something of a knack for popping up in the dying stages of a match when his side are most in need of a moment of magic, such as his 94th-minute winner against Sharjah FC back in September.

The 23-year-old picked up the ball in the middle of the park before sitting a defender down and curling a shot into the far corner – with the finish being dubbed an “extraordinary killer goal” by ADSportsTV.

As such, it is not difficult to understand why Bhoys Analytics recently dubbed the youngster a “Jota-type trickster,” nor why Navid Molaaghaei described Ghayedi a “magician,” as the Iranian starlet very much seems to be a player in the same mould as the Portugal U21 international, as well as undoubtedly being a talent who has a much higher ceiling than someone like Mikey Johnston, or even James Forrest.

In other news: Postecoglou may be heading for huge Celtic mistake as offer prepared for £1.6m dynamo

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown has provided an update on the contract situation of West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek. 

The lowdown: Instant hit

Signed for £19.1million from Slavia Prague on an initial four-year deal following a successful loan spell at the London Stadium in 2020 (BBC), the powerful midfield general has already been earmarked for new and improved terms.

However, recently it emerged in a report from 90min that the Hammers had placed negotiations over a new contract with the 26-year-old on hold until the summer at the earliest.

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As the end of the season comes into view, speculation as to whether those talks are forthcoming has begun…

The latest: Brown provides fresh update

In conversation with GMS, Brown has shared what he knows from the feeling inside the east London club, claiming they are ‘very relaxed’ over the Czech Republic international’s future.

“The club are very relaxed about it. They don’t seem to think there’s any prospect of him refusing and trying to go elsewhere.

“There’s obviously the question marks still over Declan Rice and there’s no way West Ham could afford to let both first-choice midfielders to leave in the same window. Whether they actually get a decent offer for Rice or not, they feel they could accept his future is up in the air anyway.

“I think all parties are basically being sensible at the moment and just seeing where they end up before agreeing the figures. I don’t think it’s likely that he leaves.”

The verdict: Sign him up

Whilst many would point towards the long-term future of Declan Rice as the highest priority for GSB this summer, securing the services of Soucek must not be far behind.

Since becoming an Iron, the 48-cap towering midfielder has scored 19 times in 99 appearances for the club, also missing just one game through injury in that time, the type of availability any manager would kill for.

Combative, powerful and with a knack for scoring important goals, whilst forging a stellar partnership alongside Rice at the heart of David Moyes’ side, Soucek has already attracted reported interest from German giants Bayern Munich and should therefore be regarded as a key man to get signed on the dotted line.

In other news: The Times: West Ham weighing ‘monster’ player move alongside three more potential signings! Find out more here.

Wolves currently find themselves in the midst of somewhat of a crisis at right-back with both Nelson Semedo and Ki-Jana Hoever sidelined with thigh injuries.

Luckily it appears as though the former could be back in contention after the international break whilst there is still no clear time frame on the latter’s return to action.

The injuries have meant that usual left-back Jonny Otto has had to play out of position at right-wing-back, with manager Bruno Lage not having a third senior option.

However, the West Midlands club does have an exciting young right-back coming through the ranks in 18-year-old Harry Birtwistle.

In the Pipeline

Birtwistle, who is of both British and Singaporean descent, signed his first professional contract back in October and has seriously impressed for Wolves’ U23s.

The right-back has made a combined 19 appearances for the U23s in both the Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy, scoring three goals and assisting twice with Wolves U23s currently sat third in the Premier League 2 Division 2 table.

Last season, the 18-year-old made 23 appearances for the U18s, impressing regularly and thus being handed a chance for the U23s, an opportunity that’s certainly been grabbed with both hands.

When Birtwistle signed his contract five months ago, Scott Sellars, Wolves technical director, said: “Looking forward, Harry needs to keep performing for the under-23s to a high standard and, when January comes, we will assess where he is in his journey; whether he needs to go out on loan or stay here and work with the under-23s and first-team.”

There’s certainly a pathway to the first-team for the young Singaporean, as well as his teammates in the U23s squad, but if injuries continue to be an issue for Wolves’ wing-backs, a first-team call-up may not be far away.

In Semedo, the West Midlands club have found a decent replacement for Matt Doherty, who left Molineux in 2020 to join Tottenham, having joined Wolves in 2010 as an 18-year-old.

The Irishman made 302 appearances for the club, overseeing two promotions as well as an FA Cup semi-final and an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Doherty’s time at Wolves can be an example to Birtwistle as to how hard work can eventually lead to first-team opportunities, with the 18-year-old certainly being one of the West Midlands club’s brightest youth prospects. Described as “rapid” by Tim Spiers, the youngster has previously professed that he’s modelling himself on PSG wing-back Achraf Hakimi after stepping further back in his position on the pitch.

Supporters will always have a particularly soft spot for players in the first-team who have come through the youth ranks, with Luke Cundle being a recent example. There’s no reason as to why the same can’t apply for the right-back.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is interested in a deal to appoint Jose Mourinho as the Toffees’ next manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on The Transfer Show that the AS Roma boss is one of the names under consideration for the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park following the sacking of Rafael Benitez last weekend.

Speaking about Everton’s shortlist of candidates, the transfer insider said: “This is a story that has just come in from our North West office. They are saying that Jose Mourinho is now under consideration to become the next Everton manager.

“An official approach has yet to be made to Mourinho’s current club Roma by the Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, but he is contemplating the prospect of bringing the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager to Goodison Park.”

Fans will be livid

Considering the fact that Everton have just parted with a manager whose best days are quite clearly behind him, the prospect of appointing a new head coach in exactly the same mould is undoubtedly something that will leave the Goodison Park faithful livid.

Indeed, while Mourinho has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in the game, winning a plethora of trophies throughout his career – including two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup, one Europa League, three Premier League titles, three LaLiga titles and two Serie A titles – it is an unavoidable fact that the last trophy the 58-year-old lifted was back in 2017, five years ago.

Furthermore, while the Portuguese manager has always had something of a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way, this trait appears to have been exacerbated in recent years – with Tottenham Hotspur sacking Mourinho just 17 months into the job after reports of a players’ revolt against the management style of the former FC Porto boss.

This also appears to have been reflected on the pitch, with Jose only being able to guide Spurs to sixth in his first season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as leaving the club languishing down in seventh place after 32 fixtures in 2020/21 – prior to his sacking.

Yet still, another reason against the appointment of Mourinho is the fact he would more than likely demand an extremely hefty wage to take the job at Goodison Park, with the 58-year-old earning around £10m-per-year during his time in North London – a figure which is just shy of £200k-per-week.

As such, while the legendary Portuguese coach may well be a “heavyweight” name, as Hayley McQueen suggests, should Everton wish to build towards a brighter future at Goodison Park, they should not be considering the appointment of a manager whose best days are in the past.

In other news: Everton urged to appoint “unbelievable” Big Dunc alternative, fans would surely fume

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has returned to first-team training ahead of this weekend’s clash with Burnley, per the London Evening Standard.

The England captain sustained ankle ligament damage in January’s loss to Manchester United.

The BBC subsequently claimed that he could be out until March, but the aforementioned London Evening Standard report claims that he could even feature this weekend.

The London Evening Standard claim that Kane has been reminded previously that he must not push himself too hard and manager Mauricio Pochettino may subsequently start him on the bench, particularly with back-to-back derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal looming.

Indeed, Spurs have not lost a Premier League game since the forward was ruled out, beating Fulham, Watford, Newcastle United and Leicester City. They were eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup but beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie last week.

Nevertheless, Spurs are delighted that Kane is readying himself for a comeback. Take a look at the best reaction on Twitter below!

Aston Villa are plotting a move to bring Glen Kamara to the club ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that the Premier League side have been tracking the Rangers midfielder closely over the past 12 months, with Johan Lange believed to be a big fan of the Finland international.

The report added that the recent appointment of former Gers manager Steven Gerrard in the Villa Park dugout has ramped up the Midlanders’ interest in the 26-year-old, who is thought to be one of Villa’s top transfer targets ahead of the winter window.

Gerrard’s dream signing

Considering just how important a part of the Rangers side Kamara proved to be during Gerrard’s tenure at Ibrox, it is easy to argue that the midfielder would be something of a dream signing for the 41-year-old in January.

Indeed, over his 33 Scottish Premiership appearances in the Gers’ unbeaten title-winning 2020/21 campaign, the £5.4m-rated midfielder scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making 0.8 key passes per game.

The man who Finnish journalist Janne Oivio dubbed as “the best” player within his international side also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 60.6 passes, 1.1 tackles and 0.9 interceptions and winning 4.1 duels per match.

These returns saw Kamara average a SofaScore match rating of 6.99, something which clearly demonstrates his importance within the Rangers squad.

With it being reported that the Light Blues will need to sell players in order to find moves for their own transfer targets in the coming months, a deal for the 26-year-old very much seems to be on the cards for Villa in January – something which would undoubtedly delight Gerrard.

In other news: Aston Villa confirm big development which is sure to have fans over the moon

Joey Veerman ‘could be one’ of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers transfer targets as he scours the Dutch and Belgian markets. 

That’s according to journalist Stuart Hodge, who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

The lowdown

Van Bronckhorst, who was appointed Rangers boss in November following the departure of Steven Gerrard, has previous experience in his homeland with Feyenoord, where he was an assistant coach, under-21 boss and eventually the first team manager.

Although he hasn’t managed in Belgium before, there are close links between the countries’ respective top divisions, which may even join up in the future.

Rangers reportedly tried to sign Heerenveen midfielder Veerman, who is valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, in the summer, and it seems as if they could revisit that interest.

The latest

Hodge told GIVEMESPORT that Van Bronckhorst may favour players from the Eredivisie or the Jupiler Pro League as he seeks reinforcements in the New Year.

He thinks Veerman may be one of the players who has caught the 46-year-old’s eye, saying: “In terms of where van Bronckhorst will look to strengthen his squad, you can maybe stick the Netherlands and Belgium together in that regard.

“Van Bronckhorst will know those markets and he will know the players he wants. Joey could be one of those.”

The verdict

Veerman, who can play as a defensive midfielder and in a slightly more advanced role, would be a good signing for Van Bronckhorst and Rangers.

As well as his three goals, he has contributed six assists this season and can be considered one of the top creators in his league. Indeed, only five Eredivisie players can better his average of 2.5 key passes per 90 minutes, while just two have set up more goals than him.

Former Rangers man Michael Mols has actually gone as far as to describe him as ‘perfect’ when he’s in possession, so hopefully Hodge’s revelation that Veerman may be a priority for the club in January comes to fruition.

In other news, some Gers fans slammed this man’s performance on Saturday

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to end deadline day with a bang…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Aden-Jay Wood, Spurs are keen to sign Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele before 11pm tonight, though any deal won’t be easy.

“Hearing Tottenham are interested in a deadline day move for Ousmane Dembele, not an easy deal to complete but Barcelona want him gone. Dele Alli to Everton almost completed,” he tweeted.

Late coup

This would certainly be a statement of intent from the north London outfit as they look to round off a busy day of activity.

Earlier this afternoon, the club announced the arrivals of Juventus duo Roman Bentancur, who has signed permanently in an initial £15.9m deal, and Dejan Kulusevski, who arrives on loan for £8.3m fee with an option to buy for £29.2m, via the BBC.

The Frenchman has been hindered by persistent injury problems during his time at the Nou Camp but whenever he has featured, he has been impressive.

Dembele has directly contributed towards 54 goals from 129 appearances (31 goals); a goal or assist every 139 minutes. By comparison, Heung-min Son’s record for Spurs sits at one direct contribution every 110 minutes. Not hugely different, all things considered.

The £27m-rated wide man has earned plenty of praise during his time in Spain, even despite not playing as many minutes as he’d probably like. Ex-teammate Lionel Messi dubbed him a “phenomenon”, whilst former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu once claimed “he is better than Neymar.”

Having let Bryan Gil depart on loan to Valencia to get some game time, there is certainly space in the squad for a versatile forward capable of playing up front and on both flanks, so Dembele would be a very nice signing indeed.

It remains to be seen if there’s enough time to get this one over the line but if it can happen, then it’s an exciting one. The Barca man could thrive under a manager like Conte.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold offers Spurs update ahead of deadline…

Everton failed in their quest for points today, as West Ham United got the better of them in a 2-1 affair that saw a Michael Keane red card as a result of two yellows.

The loss means that Lampard’s side have taken just three points from a possible 15, with their form potentially leaving them relegation-bound if they continue down this path.

The loss leaves them in 17th place and, although they are just three points away from the relegation zone, they do at least have two games in hand on Watford and Norwich respectively.

It is worth noting that whilst the Toffees find themselves four points above 19th place Burnley, the Clarets also have two games in hand on relegation rivals Watford and Norwich and could close the gap between themselves and Everton to just one point with a win when the two sides meet in three days time.

The next game against Burnley is crucial for Lampard’s men, and with the performance that he saw today, he will be no doubt be worried over the Toffees’ chances of ensuring their Premier League status, come next season.

Calvert-Lewin’s lacklustre display

Whilst it seemed like an odd decision from Lampard to bring off a player who has proven himself as an out-and-out goalscorer throughout the season prior, he had valid reason to do so.

Although he was replaced by Anthony Gordon with 22 minutes to go, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had plenty of time to assert his authority on the game.

But unfortunately for Lampard, he failed to repay his faith in starting him.

With just 23 touches, he failed to get into the game to the extent that both goalkeepers, Lukasz Fabianski and Jordan Pickford, alarmingly each had more touches than the 25-year-old.

Calvert-Lewin came close as he hit the woodwork, though it is worth noting that the shot had an xG total of 0.09 due to the crowded position that the Englishman struck it from.

Although they were in and around the same position, Richarlison had a much more positive impact on the game and registered 56 touches and 24 passes, as opposed to Calvert-Lewin’s measly 11 passes.

With Calvert-Lewin failing to score in yet another game, it means he is still yet to grab a goal in 2022.

Another disappointing display from Lampard’s Everton side, with the £72k-per-week forward offering very little.

In other news – Lamps can finally axe £30m “liability” as Everton plot bid for colossal 6ft6 ”monster”