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Aston Villa are still interested in signing Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Where is Kalvin Phillips?

The Englishman traded Leeds United for City last summer, having earned himself a high-profile move after shining for both the Whites and England. While he has seen as potential key player for the reigning Premier League champions, things haven't got to plan for him in his first year at the Etihad, as he's barely even been seen in top flight action.

Injury problems have hampered Phillips for much of the campaign, as well as other top midfielders being ahead of him in the pecking order, and he has only played 102 minutes of league action across seven cameo appearances, with none coming from the start.

The former Leeds favourite's lack of playing time has led to speculation surrounding his future at City, with a quickfire exit potentially happening this summer. Villa have been linked with a move for him in the recent past and now a fresh update has emerged.

Could midfielder end up at Villa?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O'Rourke claimed that Villa are still keen on the idea of Phillips joining the club during the upcoming summer window:

"If Phillips becomes available, I'm sure there will be a number of clubs who will be ready to sign the England international. Aston Villa have held a long-term interest in Phillips.

"I think they're the ones who first moved for the Leeds midfielder a couple of years ago, but he decided to stay at Leeds. I'm sure that interest hasn't gone away."

Phillips could be a perfect summer signing for Villa, proving to be the type of player who can take Unai Emery's midfield to another level. Admittedly, this season has been a disappointment for him and his stock has fallen a little, but this is a player who has been described as "superb" by Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi, which speaks volumes.

The 26-time capped England international could be a strong box-to-box presence for the Villans, combining tenacious tackling with quality in possession, having averaged three tackles per game in the EFL Cup and enjoyed a 91% pass completion rate in the league this season.

Should City be willing to let Phillips leave, Villa should do all they can to sign him, with the midfielder very much in his prime years and likely to remain that way until his early 30s.

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has a new personal ‘favourite’ to replace Antonio Conte as news emerges on Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

The Lowdown: Spurs target new managers…

Nearly a week after Conte’s infamous post-Southampton rant, no official decision has been made on the Italian’s future in north London despite a plethora of reports.

The 53-year-old had been linked with a move away from Spurs even before the controversy, with his contract running out and set to expire in June.

Spurs were believed to be highly unlikely to trigger the 12-month extension option in his deal before Southampton and it’s safe to say that proposition is now dubious at best.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici has drawn up a shortlist of candidates to succeed Conte, ranging from former boss Mauricio Pochettino to more outside contenders like Frank (Sky).

The Dane has been doing a brilliant job at Brentford in the Premier League with his side currently still contending for a place in Europe next season.

The Latest: Frank becomes Levy ‘favourite’…

According to a report by Scottish news outlet The Daily Record, sharing news from ‘well-placed sources down south’, Levy is believed to have a new ‘early favourite’ for the Spurs job in Frank.

The Lilywhites chairman is apparently believed to view Brentford’s boss as the main contender to replace Conte but other candidates, like Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou, are still in the mix.

This report adds that the 49-year-old has been a ‘smash hit’ for the Bees and Levy’s track record of appointing proven winners is a poor one, leading him to consider more ‘project’ managers like Frank.

The Verdict: Fantastic coach…

Taking charge at Brentford almost five years ago, Frank has lead the club to their first ever stint in the Premier League and could secure an historic European qualification place if things go well.

The Dane has operated on fairly limited resources compared to other European contenders, like Man United or Newcastle for instance, and we believe he could be considered a perfect ‘project’ manager.

Frank has been endorsed by both members of the media and rival top flight bosses for his work at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking to the media, had this to say on Brentford’s tactician – claiming:

“The football they play is incredible and the organisation is incredible so Thomas and Brentford is doing an incredible job. They show even with less money you can create something really special.”

Meanwhile, presenter TV and Radio presenter Adam Smith has called him ‘one of the most underrated’ managers in England.

Liverpool are believed to be interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Gravenberch out of favour

The 20-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exiting midfielders of his generation, having initially burst onto the scene at Ajax, making 103 appearances for them.

Gravenberch’s performances earned him a high-profile move to Bayern last summer but he has struggled to reach the hype early on in Germany.

He has only managed just one start in the Bundesliga all season long, as well as making 14 substitute appearances, falling behind others in the midfield pecking order, such as Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

While it is still clearly early days for Gravenberch at Bayern, there may be a part of him that is already considering moving on, should Julian Nagelsmann not see a long-term future for him.

That’s where Liverpool come into play, as Jurgen Klopp continues to look at potential midfield signings during the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on signing

According to a report from Spain [via Caught Offside], the Reds are interested in signing Graveberch at the end of the season, seeing him as a strong option to bring in.

It is even stated that talks are at an advanced stage currently, with new faces required ahead of the likely exits of Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Gravenberch’s current Bayern deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027, so it may not be easy to get him on the cheap.

The Verdict: Potentially great addition

Granted, the 11-cap Netherlands international hasn’t pulled up any trees at Bayern so far this season, but he is such a young player that going overboard about his struggles is nothing more than hyperbole.

Gravenberch remains a huge talent with a massive future ahead of him – former Ajax player Wim Kieft once called him a ‘complete’ player – and for that reason the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is hugely exciting.

The youngster possesses both physicality and technical quality, both of which have been sorely lacking at Liverpool this season, given his 6ft 2in frame and 89.1% pass completion rate in the Bundesliga this season.

At 20, Gravenberch and Jude Bellingham could both come in and represent the future at Anfield, although both are so incredibly mature for their age that they would surely be considered regular starters from the off by Klopp.

Whether or not Bayern are willing to sell so soon remains to be seen, but Liverpool should see it as a shrewd signing in what is a pivotal summer at the club.

Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas has been praised for his ‘fantastic play’ during the Premier League game vs Wolverhampton Wanderers by journalist Ian Doyle.

The Lowdown: Victory at Anfield

The Reds were the hosts at Anfield on Wednesday night as they secured a 2-0 victory over the Old Gold thanks to two second-half goals from Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The Greece international was named in the starting line-up by Jurgen Klopp and had a wonderful impact on the game, providing the assist for the Egyptian striker to seal all three points.

The Latest: Doyle’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Doyle was quick to applaud Tsimikas for his work rate to burst into the box and lay it on a plate for Salah. He wrote:

“Fantastic play down the left by Tsimikas, who ran on to a Gakpo pass, delayed and delayed and delayed and then picked the right pass to cut back for Salah to score.”

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The Verdict: Standout performer

Liverpool picked up a much-needed win over Wolves, and Tsimikas’s contribution certainly helped them get the result over the line.

The left-back, labelled ‘excellent’ on the night by Dave O’Connell, was his side’s second-best performing player, earning a match rating of 7.7, slightly behind Van Dijk, who came in at 8.2 for his goal and captaincy on the night (SofaScore).

The Reds star also had an 85% pass accuracy and registered two key passes, highlighting the positive impact he made under the lights.

Tsimikas has only been handed six league starts this season, but after a performance like this, Klopp may now have to consider increasing his involvement in the weeks ahead.

Sunderland have enjoyed a strong first season back in the second tier of English football as Tony Mowbray’s team currently sit ninth in the table after 29 matches.

The Black Cats are two points off the play-off places and could fight for a place in the top six, leading to a chance at promotion to the Premier League, between now and the end of the regular season.

One of the key players in their campaign so far has been academy product Dan Neil. The central midfielder has started 26 times in the Championship and looks set to be the next success to come out of the Academy of Light.

He could be looking to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford, who are currently playing for Liverpool and Everton, respectively, in the top-flight.

Was releasing John Egan a mistake by Poyet?

Sunderland have not always had the best judgement when it comes to youth products as one player they dropped the ball with back in 2014 was central defender John Egan.

The youngster came through the u18 side and went out on various loans before former manager Gus Poyet opted to release him on a free transfer to Gillingham in 2014.

It only took two seasons for Brentford to swoop in for the defender and Egan enjoyed an excellent spell in London – averaging Sofascore ratings of 7.15 and 7.08 in his two seasons in the second tier, helping his side to keep 18 clean sheets.

The Ireland international won at least 60% of his individual duels across the two campaigns and displayed his colossal quality as a centre-back at that level, just two years on from leaving the Stadium of Light for £0.

His form for the Bees then convinced fellow Championship side Sheffield United to smash their transfer record to sign the Irish titan for £4m in 2018.

Since arriving at Bramall Lane, the 30-year-old – who has been capped 30 times by Ireland – has played 198 matches in all competitions for the Blades and featured in 67 Premier League games.

In the 2019/20 top-flight campaign, Egan, who was once dubbed a “leader” by journalist Kate Burlaga, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 in 36 appearances as the gem won 61% of his duels and 2.8 tackles and interceptions per outing.

For context, no Sunderland centre-back with more than one appearance in the Championship this season has averaged a score higher than 6.87, which illustrates just how well the Irishman has performed over the years for Sheffield United and Brentford.

Therefore, the Black Cats dropped the ball by releasing Egan in 2014 as they missed out on a big payday with the central defender as well as the opportunity to utilise his talents on the pitch over the years.

They could have benefitted from his colossal performances in the Championship, and the Premier League, and then cashed in for big money – £4m or more – to make him a real academy success. Instead, they allowed him to leave for nothing and have had to watch on as the enforcer is enjoying an excellent career.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko was left “flustered” after Neal Maupay came off the bench this weekend.

What’s the word? It was a bad day away from home for the Gunners in the Premier League this weekend as Mikel Arteta’s men came unstuck at Goodison Park.Indeed, Sean Dyche’s Everton team managed to grind out a 1-0 win against the league leaders, inflicting Arsenal’s second defeat in a row after losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup.With the Toffees already leading thanks to a headed goal by James Tarkowski, Muapay came on in the 62nd minute and helped see out the game.While speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, the pundit claimed that this substitute had a particular impact on one of the Arsenal players.He explained (4:17): “Maupay has had up Arsenal a couple of times. He has though, I’m not joking. He’s ruffled your feathers a few times.”He continued: “Today came on, he had Zinchenko all flustered. Last time against Arsenal and what happened, was it when he was at Brighton? He called out [Matteo] Guendouzi.”NemesisAs Ferdinand mentions, Maupay certainly did seem to get in the head of Zinchenko. In the dying stages of the game, he managed to disrupt Arsenal’s momentum by fouling the left-back with a nasty kick that was missed by the officials.A furious Zinchenko then squared up to the Everton man who pulled the Ukrainian to the floor as if he was the one who had been pushed. Both men were booked but it wasted some precious time for the Gunners.What’s more, this certainly wasn’t the first time Maupay has annoyed an Arsenal player. Indeed, back at Brighton, he was caught up in a skirmish with Guendouzi after the final whistle having injured Bernd Leno earlier on in the match.The Seagulls won the game too and so Arteta and co won’t be keen to see the French striker again any time soon.

Southampton are reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Villarreal winger Nicolas Jackson.

The Lowdown: More signings to come?

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that Southampton could make two or three more signings before the transfer window shuts, and shared that Jackson was one player that they were looking at.

They have already made two new signings in the form of Mislav Orsic and Carlos Alcaraz, as Nathan Jones looks to bolster his squad for the second part of the season, where they go into a Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United, and fight for survival in the Premier League.

The Latest: Jackson talks

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth says that the Saints are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Jackson, although there is ‘work to do’ on the deal, which could cost up to €25m (£22m):

“Southampton in advanced talks with Villarreal over signing of forward Nicolas Jackson. Work to do on deal worth €25m. Jackson has started 8 league games this season but hasn’t featured in the squad for any of Villarreal’s last 4 games in all competitions.”

The Verdict: Get it done!

Southampton need all the help in attacking areas that they can get, given that they have only managed to score 17 goals in their opening 20 games in the Premier League, the fourth-fewest in the division.

Jackson has managed three goals and three assists in 24 matches in total over all competitions so far this season (FBRef).

Dubbed ‘the new Sadio Mane’ by sections of the media, and a player with ‘bags of potential’ by journalist Ashley Preece, the 21-year-old is thought of very highly, and would be a welcome addition at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Crystal Palace have been linked with Marseille striker Bamba Dieng recently, and the 22-year-old could prove to be Patrick Vieira’s own version of Didier Drogba at Selhurst Park.

According to 90min, a number of Premier League clubs including Palace, Leeds United, West Ham, Leicester and Everton are all keeping tabs on the Senegalese forward, although Marseille are still keen to tie him down to a new contract.

Dieng has lost his place as a regular in Igor Tudor’s side since his antics in the summer, which saw him come extremely close to moves to both Leeds and Nice before failing a medical with the latter, having decided against a move to Yorkshire at Nice Airport.

The young forward has found the net once for Marseille this season and also scored for Senegal at the World Cup, so perhaps he could rediscover his best form with regular starts at Selhurst Park.

Should he sign for the Eagles this month, Vieira will be hoping that the 22-year-old follows in the footsteps of another African forward to dominate in the Premier League after moving from Marseille – Didier Drogba.

The legendary forward signed for Chelsea in 2004 and went on to become an icon for the Stamford Bridge outfit, contributing 164 goals in 368 appearances for the Blues, including a memorable late equaliser in their Champions League final win over Bayern Munich 11 years ago.

Another former Premier League striker in El Hadji Diouf certainly thinks that Dieng could follow in the Ivory Coast great’s footsteps, having sung his praises in 2021.

The ex-Bolton forward said of his 22-year-old compatriot: “I knew him with the national youth team. He is a striker, a Didier Drogba. All he knows how to do is score goals. He has qualities that we see on a daily basis, to play in spaces. It was chosen for this explosiveness and this ability to hurt the opponent’s back. He has great potential.”

Palace are certainly in need of a natural goalscorer in their ranks, given the respective woes in front of goal of Odsonne Edouard, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jordan Ayew so far this season, with just five Premier League goals between the centre-forward trio.

If Dieng proves to be even half the player that Drogba was in England, then he would surely be a quality signing by Vieira this month if he arrives in south London.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Sofyan Amrabat in January and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

Foot Mercato journalist Anas Bakhkhar gave an interview with Empire of the Kop and provided an update on Liverpool’s interest in the Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Amrabat.

Bakhkhar told the publication:

“We’ve talked about it in Foot Mercato that Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp has met the agent of Sofyan Amrabat, we can also mention that his brother, Nordin Amrabat, who has been working on his brother’s career for a long time now, was also there and they both met with the coach.

“It was a very good meeting, it was positive and they will be meeting a few days after the end of the World Cup to see if the interest is the same from Jurgen Klopp.

“After his performances in Qatar, the interest shouldn’t change and there will be other meetings to see the demands of Fiorentina, also the demands of his agent – to see if that transfer will go ahead or not.”

He could replace Fabinho

It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp and the powers at Anfield are on a recruitment drive over the next few months in order to acquire the services of midfielders who can be part of the next generation of the German coach’s successful Merseyside squad.

Both Enzo Fernandez and Jude Bellingham are two players that the six-time Champions League winners are reportedly pushing a deal for, and Amrabat could complete the set in their rebuild in the centre of the pitch.

With Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner out of contract in the summer, and Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara well into their 30s at this point, it is becoming a matter of urgency for the Reds to refresh.

Amrabat and his teammates have captured the attention of the world with their performances at the World Cup in Qatar, with Morocco becoming the first African team to ever reach the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament and it’s safe to say the midfielder has been a key player in their record-breaking progression.

Over five appearances, the €40m-valeyed (£34m)midfielder has been nothing short of a “monster” – as dubbed by Charlotte Coates. He tallied up an 84% pass completion rate and won 51% of his duels, as well as averaging 50 touches, 31.4 accurate passes, 1.2 interceptions, 2.6 tackles and 1.8 clearances per game.

In fact, Amrabat could be the perfect player to push Fabinho for his place in the team as the Liverpool ace has hit a poor run of form over the season so far. Indeed, the Brazilian looks like a replaceable asset at the moment having recorded fewer tackles and interceptions per game (2.9) than he did last term (3) and fewer still than in 2020/21 (3.4).

It suggests from a defensive point of view that he has regressed but his attacking numbers are no better either. He made 0.7 key passes per game throughout 2021/22 but that has slipped to 0.4 this term.

As a result, some healthy competition for his position and quality depth could be a valuable asset for Klopp over the second half of the season and beyond.

With that being said, the signing of Amrabat could be a great opportunity for Klopp to strengthen the centre of the pitch at Anfield and if a deal could be done in January it could be a huge boost in Liverpool’s pursuit of earning a Champions League spot.

Glasgow Rangers returned to Ibrox on Thursday evening in what was Michael Beale’s first Scottish Premiership game in charge, however, John Lundstram came in for criticism for his display against Hibernian.

The Lowdown: Winning start

Beale got off to a winning start after taking over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, with Rangers coming from behind twice in an eventful league fixture to win 3-2.

Goals from Fashion Sakala, Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos earned a hard-fought three points to take The Gers six points off top spot.

The Latest: Lundstram criticism

Lundstram was making his 26th appearance of the campaign and third at centre-back but seemed to struggle in the opening 45 minutes.

Journalist Josh Bunting didn’t hold back when it came to the 28-year-old, saying he was ‘all over the place’ and having a ‘shocker’.

“John Lundstram is having a shocker, he’s all over the place and you can tell he’s rocked and panicking. Making silly errors at fault for the two Hibernian goals, just no composure in his performance, would switch him for Steven Davis who’s experience would be a better option.”

The Verdict: Night to forget

Beale will be delighted to collect three points in his first game in charge, however, for Lundstram, it was an evening to forget.

He didn’t cover himself in glory for both of the visitors’ goals and failed to win an aerial duel all evening while losing possession on 11 occasions. [SofaScore]

Lundstram was the worst-rated Rangers defender, making just one tackle and failing to make a clearance, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Beale looked to shake things around against Aberdeen.