ASTON VILLA LAUNCH MOVE FOR MLS STARLET GOZO TO BOLSTER YOUTH RANKS
Aston Villa are looking to the MLS for its next star. Get the latest details on the enquiry for Real Salt Lake's Zavier Gozo.
Unai Emery and his team are on the hunt for fresh young talent, and now their search has brought them to Major League Soccer. According to transfer insider Matteo Moretto, Aston Villa recently reached out to Real Salt Lake about their promising forward, Zavier Gozo.
Villa’s interest in Gozo isn’t just talk—they actually contacted the staff in Utah to see what it would take to bring the 18-year-old to Birmingham. They see real potential in him and want to develop him in their academy. This isn’t just some distant scouting mission. It fits perfectly with Villa’s bigger strategy: sign top young players before their value skyrockets in Europe.
Gozo’s made a name for himself in Real Salt Lake’s youth system and has already broken into the first team. He’s also caught the eye of scouts across Europe with his performances for the USA U20s.
Talks are still early, but Villa clearly think Gozo could one day push for first-team minutes. Since Emery arrived, the club has put serious effort into signing young prospects. Bringing in a quick North American forward fits right in with the way they want to play. Fans will see this as another sign of Villa’s ambition to build a winning team for the long haul.
So, why does Emery want this American speedster? Gozo’s got the right tools for English football—he’s fast, direct, and can play out wide or through the middle. He loves running at defenders and creating chances, which is exactly what Emery wants from his wide players. Gozo’s already shown at MLS NEXT Pro and the senior MLS level that he’s got the energy and movement. Villa rely on counter-attacks. On top of that, he works hard off the ball, pressing from the front—something Emery always asks of his attackers.
Of course, there’s the question of whether Gozo’s ready for the physical side of the Premier League. The jump from MLS is tough, and he’ll probably need time with the U21s or maybe a loan before he’s ready for the first team.
Still, this move just makes sense for Villa’s future. Emery has proven he can develop raw talent into reliable players for his system. If they sign Gozo now, they get a young player they can shape without any rush for immediate results.
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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