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.
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.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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