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UNAI EMERY EYES MAN CITY TARGET WHILE VILLA CHASE REAL MADRID STAR

Aston Villa are targeting Man City's James Trafford as a potential long-term successor for Emiliano Martinez. The club has also made a formal offer for Real Madrid's young striker Gonzalo Garcia.

Unai Emery eyes Man City target while Villa chase Real Madrid star
Emery turns to City man amid Villa Madrid pursuit - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Aston Villa reportedly "turned to" a Manchester City star, while Real Madrid received a "formal offer" from them.

Six months after losing out on Champions League status on the last day of the 2024–2025 season, Aston Villa has experienced a wild ride.

Due to their limited summertime market activity and the rumoured departures of Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Emiliano Martinez, they had to cut their transfer budget.

Unai Emery's team bought Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho in the closing days of the summer in an attempt to turn around their disastrous summer, but they had a dismal start to the current campaign.

After struggling offensively and starting the season in the relegation zone, the Villans have improved in recent weeks, leaping to sixth place in the Premier League standings.

In order to improve their chances of making it to the Champions League the following season, Villa may try to make up for their dismal summer during the winter transfer window.

Martinez is nearing the end of his career, and Manchester United targeted him in the summer, so finding a replacement goalkeeper will be one of Aston Villa's top concerns.

According to a Football Insider story, Aston Villa has "turned to" James Trafford, a star for Man City, who is "increasingly certain" to depart Pep Guardiola's team next year, either on loan or permanently.

Trafford rejoined Man City in the summer, but Gianluigi Donnarumma took his spot as their starting goalie for a few weeks.

Aston Villa is keeping an eye on Trafford, who may depart to get more playing time before the World Cup next summer.

Villa believes Trafford is a good substitute for Martinez and might eventually take his place as the team's starting goalie.

"Sources believe that Trafford's departure from Man City next year, possibly on an initial loan, is becoming more and more likely."

Gonzalo Garcia of Real Madrid is reportedly a target for Aston Villa as well. According to Fichajes, the Spanish powerhouses have received "formal proposals" from the Villans, Sunderland, and Wolves totalling about 20 million euros.

After receiving multiple official proposals for Gonzalo García, one of the young jewels attracting the most interest in England, Real Madrid has started to advance its transfer agenda. According to the reports

"The 21-year-old striker has become a top target for several Premier League clubs after excelling in both the youth academy and first-team training, creating an unexpected situation for Real Madrid."

BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY

Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.

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Tottenham Confirm Bruno Saltor as Assistant Coach Under Igor Tudor

Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.

Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.

Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.

If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.

Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.

Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.

GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW

Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.

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Odds crash on Robbie Keane becoming the next Crystal Palace manager.

Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.

Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.

The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.

Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.

People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.

Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.

One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.

TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.

His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”

For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.

Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.

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