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VILLA'S NEW TARGET: ALYSSON EDWARD, A VERSATILE BRAZILIAN WINGER, IS UNAI EMERY'S PRIORITY

Aston Villa is strongly interested in 19-year-old Grêmio winger Alysson, who fits their need for budget-friendly attacking depth and could be the club's next Morgan Rogers.

Villa's New Target: Alysson Edward, A Versatile Brazilian Winger, is Unai Emery's Priority
Villa Explores Deal for Grêmio Teenager Alysson Amid Financial Rules.

Reports suggest Aston Villa is looking at a January move for a player who could be the next Morgan Rogers.

Villa might not splash a lot of cash this January, but they are expected to be active, with attacking players a likely priority.

Only six teams have fewer expected goals than Villa this season, so that tracks. Ollie Watkins is struggling, summer signing Evann Guessand hasn't found his form, and the club relies too much on Morgan Rogers in attack. A budget-friendly signing could change that, and Unai Emery may have someone in mind.

A Teenager Forward Could Be the Next Rogers

The Athletic reported Villa is exploring a deal for 19-year-old Grêmio winger Alysson. Scouts watched him play in Brazil before a possible offer.

Alysson, also known as Alysson Edward, shares some qualities with Rogers. He can play as a number ten or on the wing, and he has a similar mix of strength, speed, and ball control.

He became a regular starter in Porto Alegre in 2025, but he still needs some work. He's inconsistent and gets frustrated when things don't go his way. So far, he has only one league goal for his club. He has potential, but he's not the finished article.

Still, he fits what Villa needs. He's young, which fits the club's plan to build a younger squad. He can play many positions, which helps with squad depth. Also, he won't cost a fortune, which is important because Villa nearly broke Premier League financial rules.

Those rules are still in place for the rest of the 2025/26 season, even though clubs voted to change them next summer. Villa isn't thought to have much money to spend this January. Signing cheaper, younger players is the most likely move.

Alysson might not make a huge impact right away if Villa signs him. But he has the skills, technique, movement, and work rate to be a useful squad player. Villa would sign Alysson, hoping he becomes as good as Rogers in a few years and helps the team now.

Will Villa Sign Alysson in January?

The Athletic's report doesn't say Villa has made an offer or what the transfer fee might be. It only says the club has a strong interest. However, Brazilian media have made some guesses.

Bolavip reported before The Athletic that Grêmio received an offer of over €12m (around £10.5m). Details of the offer weren't given. A decision will be made soon.

The Brazilian club has a few weeks to decide, but Villa might want to complete a deal early in January if possible. Guessand could be unavailable if the Ivory Coast does well at the Africa Cup of Nations.

With reports in England and Brazil, Villa's interest in Alysson seems real, and talks are likely happening. But it's not certain a deal will be reached.

Bolivar's report suggests Villa can afford this deal. Watching Alysson play suggests he could be an impact sub right away and improve over time. This could be a smart signing for the future.

MICHAEL OWEN DECLARES PREMIER LEAGUE "NEARLY WRAPPED UP" FOR LEADERS ARSENAL

Michael Owen tells talkSPORT that Arsenal have "wrapped up" the Premier League title, sitting six points clear with 14 games left.

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Arsenal are six points clear as Owen claims rivals aren't good enough

Michael Owen says Arsenal has basically wrapped up the league.

Right now, Mikel Arteta’s team sits six points clear at the top of the Premier League. Fourteen games left, but they’re determined not to trip up like they did in the past. Three years in a row, they finished second—always just missing out on Manchester City or Liverpool. Remember that eight-point lead they blew to City in 2022/23? That one really stung, especially since City went on to win everything: the league, the Champions League, and the Carabao Cup.

On Wednesday morning, Owen—yeah, the former United and Liverpool striker—went on talkSPORT and talked about how easy Arsenal has it this season. “I don’t think anyone’s good enough to compete with them this year,” he said. “Even though I don’t think the points total will be that high.” He figured only Liverpool or City had a shot at the start of the season, but both have fallen off. So, in Owen’s mind, Arsenal has pretty much been handed the title. “Nobody’s put much pressure on them,” he said. “The league is nearly wrapped up.”

And Arsenal just beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates in the Carabao Cup (4-2 on aggregate), so now they’re one win away from silverware—it would be their first trophy under Arteta since that FA Cup back in 2020.

Owen already thinks Arsenal will be champions this year, and he’s backing them for the League Cup too. “I think they could win the Carabao Cup, absolutely,” he said. “But the other two trophies are going to be tough.”

The Gunners are still chasing the quadruple. They topped their Champions League group, knocked Portsmouth out of the FA Cup, and haven’t lost in Europe—getting some big wins over Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich along the way.

Owen, who’s got a Ballon d’Or to his name, thinks Arsenal will face stiffer competition outside England. “Everyone else will be focusing on the FA Cup now, since the league’s pretty much over,” he said. “It’s the only thing that can save their season, so clubs will put out strong teams.” Then there’s the Champions League, which feels wide open this year.

Alan Brazil from talkSPORT asked Owen if Arsenal could actually win all four trophies. Owen shot that down. “No, I don’t think so,” he replied. “But they’re special, a really strong, efficient side.”

ASTON VILLA VALUE MORGAN ROGERS AT £100M+ AS LIVERPOOL AND CHELSEA CIRCLE

Aston Villa face a fight to keep £100m-rated Morgan Rogers as Liverpool and Chelsea circle the England star for a summer move.

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From £8m to £100m! The insane rise of Villa star Morgan Rogers

Aston Villa really wants to hang on to Morgan Rogers, but that’s going to be tough this summer. There’s serious money on the table, and both Liverpool and Chelsea can’t seem to take their eyes off him. One journalist even called Rogers “a joy to watch.”

Rogers is only 23, but he’s come a long way fast. Villa picked him up from Middlesbrough just over two years ago for an initial £8 million, which doubled when you count the add-ons. At the time, not everyone was convinced—he came in without much fuss, just another Manchester City academy kid trying to make his mark. But look at him now: one of the best signings Villa’s made in years, his value through the roof, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a starting lineup without his name for either club or country.

Villa now rates him at more than £100 million, and the whole “big six” wants him. He even landed a new contract in November, tying him to Villa until June 2031. But even with that deal, Mark Carey from The Athletic thinks Villa will have their hands full trying to keep him. Rogers isn’t just playing well under Unai Emery—he’s on fire, and with the World Cup coming up, his profile’s only getting bigger.

Nine goals and seven assists from 34 games this season say it all. That’s why the top clubs keep circling. Liverpool and Chelsea are both sniffing around, and if Chelsea loses Cole Palmer, they’ll be even more desperate. Carey says teams in England and abroad won’t be scared off by Villa’s tough stance or Rogers’ long contract.

Carey’s pretty blunt: Villa’s resolve is about to face its biggest test yet. He says it’ll be interesting to see how the club reacts, especially if they miss out on the Champions League for 2026/27.

So why is Rogers worth more than £100 million now? Carey points to the long contract as a bit of a safety net for Villa, but Rogers’ progress is off the charts. He’s that good—“a joy to watch,” in Carey’s words—and honestly, there’s no ceiling to how far he can go.

You could see this coming even last September. Transfer insider Dean Jones already knew Villa rated Rogers highly and figured he could be the club’s next £100m man after Jack Grealish. Jones said people close to Villa believed Rogers would hit that price by the January window, but selling him mid-season wasn’t really on the table. If Rogers kept playing like this, Jones said, the £100m tag would stick by next summer—especially with that long contract.

Jones summed it up: Rogers has become one of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League, and Villa is determined to keep him. Last summer, insiders said Villa internally priced him at £80 million and made it clear he wasn’t for sale.

But if Mark Carey’s right and Villa’s resolve gets pushed this summer, they won't settle for less than what Man City paid for Grealish (£100 million). Honestly, with the way things are going, they might even demand the kind of money Liverpool shelled out for Florian Wirtz—around £116 million.

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