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ASTON VILLA SECURE HISTORIC WINNING STREAK: OLLIE WATKINS PRIMED FOR GOAL-SCORING BLITZ AGAINST CHELSEA

Ollie Watkins is "primed" for a scoring spree as 3rd-place Villa prepare for crunch games at Chelsea and Arsenal.

Aston Villa Secure Historic Winning Streak: Ollie Watkins Primed for Goal-Scoring Blitz Against Chelsea
Ollie Watkins is Set to Explode Despite Villa’s One-Goal Win Habit

Ollie Watkins, the England striker, seems ready to score a bunch of goals, which could really help Unai Emery's team as they try to win the Premier League.

Let's be honest, this Premier League season hasn't been that exciting so far.

One of the teams in the top five might get on a really good run in the second half of the season, but I doubt it. Arsenal has a lot of points, and they're tough to beat, but they're not exactly thrilling. Mikel Arteta's team works well, but Manchester City depends too much on one big Norwegian dude.

Enzo Maresca has a talented squad, but he seems too focused on messing with the Chelsea owners. Arne Slot at Liverpool has a big problem: even ignoring what will happen with Mo Salah or Alexander Isak's injury, their defence is looking shaky.

Aston Villa has already had a great run, winning seven Premier League games in a row as part of their 10 wins. Winning seven Premier League games straight IS great, but Unai Emery's team hasn't usually crushed other teams, winning most of those games by just one goal.

Some people might say that means they're due for a loss. But another way to look at it is that Villa might get even better.

For example, Watkins is likely to start scoring a lot soon. It's not like he's playing badly. This Villa team could still improve a lot.

If you care about expected goals, Villa would be 15th if that's how the Premier League was decided. That means either Villa is getting lucky, or those expected goals numbers don't mean much.

Basically, Emery has a balanced team with good players who are in their prime. He also has other guys who should become really good Premier League players, such as Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen, and Evan Guessand, when he gets back from AFCON.

It might not seem like last summer's transfers did much, but they did. By keeping guys like Emi Martinez, Watkins, and Morgan Rogers, the team has been able to build a better understanding.

This Villa team looks like they know what they're doing. They know how to handle problems during games. They're not always amazing, but they're strong and organised.

Sure, the next two games—at Chelsea and at Arsenal—will be important, but they won't decide everything. Arsenal has been great, winning 12 games, but their 39 points are still a little low for a team leading the Premier League after 17 games.

The title race is open, and Villa is a big contender. It's that simple.

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.

top-news
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.

Premier League Standings

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