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A round-up of Group C matches in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare on February 28, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2017

At Chepauk, 17-year old medium pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti took the first-ever List A hat-trick for Rajasthan that helped them defend 183 for a 14-run win against Gujarat. Gujarat were 152 for 5 – just 32 short of the target – when Nagarkoti made his first strike. They were eventually bowled out for 169, with Nagarkoti having taken 3 for 30 in seven overs. Bhargav Merai (51) and Rujul Bhatt (49) made contributions for Gujarat and shared a fourth-wicket partnership on 90. Apart from Nagarkoti, captain Pankaj Singh took three wickets, while Nathu Singh finished with two scalps.Nagarkoti also came good with the bat as his unbeaten half-century lifted Rajasthan from 54 for 6. Along with Arijit Gupta (69), he helped add 86 for the seventh wicket and finished not out on 56.Manoj Tiwary’s unbeaten century steered Bengal to an eight-wicket win in a chase of 214 against Goa. Tiwary slammed 116 off 94 balls with 13 fours and three sixes as Bengal win with 85 balls to spare. Tiwary’s knock rescued Bengal from early losses, after they were reduced to 45 for 2. Tiwary dominated an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 169 with opening batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran to see his team through. Abhimanyu finished not out on 68.Bengal could have been chasing more had Goa’s batsmen converted their starts. Amogh Desai top-scored with 49, but his dismissal triggered a slide as Goa went from 150 for 2 to finish on 213 for 9. Kanshik Seth, the debutant medium pacer, took 3 for 50 in 10 overs.Seamer Chandrakant Sakure’s maiden List A five-for helped Madhya Pradesh dismiss Mumbai for 134 and canter to an 80-run win. Sakure took 5 for 25 in eight overs and was supported by Saransh Jain, who took 3 for 30 in nine overs. Ishwar Pandey and Ankit Sharma took one wicket each.MP’s innings was driven by Ankit Dane in the first half. Dane struck 46 off 76 balls and held up his end even as wickets fell around him. He was dismissed in the 28th over, after which Sohraab Dhaliwal propelled the score past 200 with his 41-ball 51. Dhaliwal was the last man dismissed as MP were bowled out for 214 in 45.1 overs. Mumbai’s bowlers shared the wickets around, with Shardul Thakur’s 3 for 27 the best figures.

Arsenal play host to Steve Coopers Nottingham Forest in the team's opening fixture of the new Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta's men will be hoping to get their new campaign off to a winning start should they want to mount another challenge for the league title.

Whereas Cooper's side will be looking to avoid another late-season relegation scrap.

Here is Football FanCast's official preview for the game…

When is the match, and is it on UK TV?

The match is set to be played on Saturday 12th August at 12.30pm GMT, the first early kick-off of the season.

UK viewers can watch the clash on TNT Sports, formerly known as BT Sport.

The last meeting between the sides resulted in a serious contrast in emotions between the teams.

The 1-0 victory for Forest meant they were guaranteed another year of Premier League football, whereas, for Arsenal, the loss meant that Manchester City were crowned champions without having to kick a ball.

Premier League: Every Opening Day Fixture

Who is Arsenal's key player?

The Gunners are currently blessed with an abundance of quality players, who could all be the deciding factor in a game like this.

However, it's their young captain, Martin Odegaard, who will be the deciding factor against Nottingham Forest.

The Norwegian has just had a fantastic year for the north London outfit and shows no sign of slowing down, quite the opposite in fact.

With an impressive 15 goals in the league last year, the midfield maestro will be looking to get off the mark early at home.

Who is Nottingham Forest's key player?

The end of last season saw a number of players step up for Cooper, but the man most synonymous with their uptick in form is Morgan Gibbs-White.

Notching up five goals and an impressive eight assists in the league last season proved vital in their battle against the drop.

The ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man will be their key player going into next season, and an opening fixture at the Emirates Stadium is certainly a great platform to showcase his skills.

How will Arsenal line up?

The home side's lineup is likely to be quite different from the one that faced Forest in May if the rumoured transfers are to happen.

The big one looks to be the departure of Granit Xhaka and the arrival of Declan Rice.

Another player likely to feature is defender William Saliba. Arsenal were without their outstanding centre-half during the recent meeting between the two clubs due to injury, but it looks like he will be fit to return.

At this stage, the lineup for the Gunners will probably be:

Arron Ramsdale; Oleksandr Zinchenko – William Saliba – Gabriel – Ben White; Thomas Partey – Declan Rice – Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli – Gabriel Jesus – Bukayo Saka

How will Nottingham Forest line up?

Whilst there will undoubtedly be changes to the Forest lineup going into their season opener, it won't be anywhere near as drastic as the changes going into last season's opener.

The club have already announced that loanee Chris Wood has been made a permeant addition to the club, but a few players have also been released.

The most notable names to depart the club are Jesse Lingard, Jack Colback and Andre Ayew.

At this stage, the lineup for the Reds is likely to be:

Keylor Navas; Joe Worrall, Moussa Niakhate, Felipe; Serge Aurier, Ryan Yates, Danilo, Orel Mangala, Renan Lodi; Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi.

What were the last five Premier League meetings between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest? Nottingham Forest 1 – 0 Arsenal Arsenal 5 – 0 Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest 0 – 1 Arsenal Arsenal 2 – 1 Nottingham Forest Arsenal 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Looking at their last five Premier League meetings paints a picture of domination for the Gunners, with their only loss coming in their most recent match away at Forest.

However, due to Forest's long absence from England's topflight, these five results are perhaps not the best way of judging how the teams have performed against one another.

Before the game at the Emirates, which Arsenal won 5-0, the sides had played two FA Cup games and a League Cup game since January 2018.

In those three games, the Midlands outfit has come out on top, beating the Gunners twice.

So with that added context, the last five games in all competitions see Forest as the most dominant.

Who is going to win?

Despite Arsenal's campaign completely falling apart towards the back end of last season and Nottingham Forest pulling off a great escape, the Gunners should have enough to claim all three points at home.

That home advantage, plus the addition of Rice, will prove to be just too much for Steve Cooper's side in their first game of the season.

It won't be a walk in the park for Arsenal, though. Expect this to be a tightly contested affair with hopefully a few goals to boot.

FFC predicts: Arsenal Win

Nearly 50 overs were lost to bad weather, but Bangladesh would feel confident after getting to 154 for 3 having been put in to bat on a green pitch

The Report by Alagappan Muthu11-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:37

Isam: Given Bangladesh’s record here, they’ve had a good first day

Bangladesh understood that they have the personnel to hold steady in seamer-friendly conditions over the course of a rain-affected day in Wellington. As far as surprises go that was rather pleasant; not unlike finding money in the couch cushions.Tamim Iqbal was carving boundaries at will and throwing bowlers off their rhythm. So dominant was he that at one point all but four runs of the total were made by him; and by then he was past fifty. Mominul Haque was subtler; so much that the runs he scored were an afterthought. Only, before anyone knew it, he was on 64 not out, his team was 154 for 3, and it took the light fading to finally drag him off his beloved batting crease. Nearly fifty overs were lost in total to bad weather and in an effort to make up for them, the umpires ruled that play would start half an hour early on Friday.If the strokeplay was eye-catching, then the northerly wind was a full-blown diva. It hit speeds of 150 kph, swindled an umpire’s hat, made the groundstaff fly let alone the covers, and forced the cameramen off the Southern stand, which was basically scaffolding. For a good part of the final two sessions, the cricket was broadcast the old way, from behind the batsman at one end. It seemed to enhance Mominul’s appeal as he showcased stout defence and good judgment outside off.Smart Stats

2 Number of hundreds for Mominul Haque against NZ. He has scores of 181, 22* ,47 & 126* and averaged 188 against them before today’s match.

4 Number of fifty plus scores for Tamim Iqbal from six innings. He averages 51 in New Zealand.

85 Runs added by Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah for the third wicket. It was the third highest partnership for any wicket for Bangladesh in New Zealand.

In the lead up to this Test, the popular opinion was Bangladesh would be caught off guard. It gained steam after Kane Williamson invited them to bat on a pitch that retained flecks of green. Imrul Kayes didn’t help matters when he top-edged a hook and was caught at long leg in the fourth over. It was a particularly irksome dismissal, especially for an opener, in conditions where the short ball posed a lot less threat than the full one.Of course, Mahmudullah might have reasons to disagree with that assessment, considering he was hit in the box by a back of a length delivery soon after coming in to bat. He was then struck on the right hand by a throw from Neil Wagner running to his left from midwicket and made to look like he was being pulled in opposite directions when facing New Zealand’s two left-arm quicks. With time he learnt not to get so squared up and even crunched three sweet shots to the point boundary but just as he was looking dangerous, he chased a wide delivery from Wagner and the outside edge was smartly taken by BJ Watling diving to his right.Nevertheless Bangladesh made their highest total at the Basin Reserve when they passed 143; they had found 106 of those runs in fours and sixes. Few things could better represent New Zealand’s ill-discipline. Trent Boult ping-ponged from iffy to irresistible. He was hit for six fours in 17 balls by Tamim, at which point Williamson had no choice but to take his premier fast bowler out of the attack after only three overs. It’s all very well having the wind at your back, but when it clocks in faster than your deliveries, you have a problem.Boult redeemed himself by having Tamim lbw with his second ball after the early lunch, pitching it on an in-between length, making it seam in off the deck and catching the batsman on the move. New Zealand had already used one of their reviews when allrounder Colin de Grandhomme had an lbw struck down in the 11th over, but Williamson tried again and this time umpire Marais Erasmus’ on-field call of not out was overruled.Tim Southee was a bit more dependable. He assessed that as abundant as the cloud cover was in the morning, the breeze was too savage to encourage swing. The grass on the pitch however, lent itself to helping the ball move after pitching and Southee used to his advantage, occasionally even using cross-seamers to surprise batsmen.But there weren’t enough times that pressure was forced upon Bangladesh from both ends. A run-rate of 3.81 indicated the Wellington pitch was truer than most thought, but it also pointed the finger on Boult and company for their inability to maintain a length that demanded the batsman come forward.Bangladesh should be wary if they do find it. They were playing an away Test for the first time in more than two years and, as the one-day series showed, they share an uncomfortably close relationship with batting collapses. Unless they get enough runs on the board, it would be too much to ask their inexperienced bowling attack to win them the match. Taskin Ahmed and Subashis Roy were making their debuts and Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Mehedi Hasan made their debuts only months ago. None of them have played any long-form cricket abroad.

A round-up of the CSA T20 Challenge matches on December 4, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2016With three league games left in the T20 competition, Lions kept themselves in contention for a playoffs berth with a five-run victory over Warriors in Durban. Lions defended 157 to rise to third, while Warriors remained in second place, seven points ahead.Lions were off to a flier after Dominic Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen put on 76 for the first wicket. Hendricks was the quieter of the two, contributing a 27-ball 25, while van der Dussen scored an even 50, his 10th in T20s, off just 25 balls. They were dismissed in consecutive overs, leaving an increasingly fragile looking middle-order to mount a competitive total.Lions were unable to keep pace with the openers as Colin Ackermann’s offspin sparked a middle and lower-order collapse. They lost their last eight wickets for 48, with no batsman between Nos. 3 and 10 contributing more than 17, as the innings ended with a ball remaining.Viljoen and left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin put Warriors in trouble early in their chase. They were reduced to 31 for 3 in the fifth over before Colin Ingram and Christiaan Jonker mounted a recovery. They shared a 59-run fourth-wicket stand, but then spin turned the match again as legspinner Eddie Leie took three wickets in five balls to reduce Warriors to 95 for 6 in the 14th over.Andrew Birch’s 30 off 19 balls kept Warriors in the hunt, leaving them with 34 to get off the last three overs, with three wickets in hand. They plundered 15 runs off the 18th over, but only eight came off the 19th. With 11 needed in the final over, Dwaine Pretorius took a wicket off the first ball, and conceded just six off the next four deliveries. With six needed off the final ball, Pretorius bowled Birch to secure a tense win.Kevin Pietersen’s 51-ball 79 went in vain as Dolphins suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Cobras, who achieved their 179-run target by seven wickets and eight balls to spare at Kingsmead in Durban. This was Cobras’ second win in seven matches. The four points helped them narrow the gap to three points over fourth-placed Dolphins.Pietersen hit three fours and five sixes in his knock to help strengthen the foundation laid by Morne van Wyk, who made 44. Pietersen drove the innings forward in the company of Khaya Zondo, with whom he shared an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket. Zondo contributed 40 of those in the team’s 178 for 5. Rory Klienveldt picked up three wickets.Cobras stuttered early when they lost Wayne Parnell in the third over, but their chase received a fillip courtesy half-centuries from Richard Levi and Dane Vilas. When Levi was dismissed by Imran Tahir, Cobras still needed 63 off 46 balls. Vilas found an able ally in Kieron Pollard, who made an unbeaten 31, to steer the team home.

West Ham United are in the race for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher as the club prepares for the departure of Declan Rice.

What’s the latest on Conor Gallagher to West Ham?

According to talkSPORT, the Irons, alongside Newcastle and Crystal Palace have been alerted to the possibility of signing the £40m-rated Englishman.

The report details that the 23-year-old’s sale may be sanctioned as the 2021 Champions League winners attempt to raise funds to cut the size of the squad and finance Mauricio Pochettino’s summer rebuild.

The outlet also revealed that the west London recruitment team believes that British players will generate the most revenue and Gallagher hasn’t justified his inclusion for next season due to his inconsistency.

What would Conor Gallagher bring to West Ham?

The £50k-per-week man’s season at Chelsea had drawn a mixed reaction from the fan base.

On one hand, the engine has made the second most appearances (45) in all competitions for the club this season, showing he is a trustworthy and popular asset.

Conversely, he has also been accused of not being up to standard, with Darren Bent describing the player as looking like a "fish out of water" at Stamford Bridge.

However, although he has endured a tricky campaign, he has still shown he has top-flight pedigree outside of Chelsea.

For the 2021/22 season, the Epsom-born talent was loaned to Palace and tremendously excelled at Selhurst Park.

In 34 Premier League appearances, the six-cap international recorded 11 goal contributions and the highest average rating (7.09) in the squad, as per WhoScored.

This notified his parent club of his quality and the former Swansea man has been regularly picked by Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard since.

In a more settled and less-pressurised environment, Gallagher can perform and a move to the London Stadium could reignite his career.

This signing would mean that David Moyes could unearth his own Joelinton – an aggressive, relentless, and energetic box-to-box midfielder.

Indeed, as per FBref, the two are the most alike when it comes to every player across Europe's top five leagues.

That is showcased by the fact that both the aforementioned men rank within the top 9% in Europe’s top five leagues among their positional peers for blocks per 90, the highest 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, and the best 19% for progressive carries per 90.

This range of attributes displays both their defensive and offensive capabilities, and Gallagher could be an integral cog of the West Ham side across the pitch.

Described as “fantastic” by Potter, his commitment, work rate and willingness to run cannot be questioned, and in a similar setting to what he experienced in south London, he could be set to thrive again.

Aston Villa have "concrete" interest in Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres ahead of a potential summer move, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Torres having a good season?

The Villans have enjoyed an increasingly memorable season in the Premier League, having at one stage arguably looked relegation-threatened under Steven Gerrard. Since Unai Emery arrived, however, they have found a completely new level, and they are now pushing hard for European football, having won their last six home games.

Saturday's 2-1 victory at home to Tottenham was a massive result, in that respect, and they are in eighth place with just two matches remaining, giving themselves a chance of Europe.

It is clear that Villa are going to need a big summer in the transfer market, in order to go up a further gear, and additions are required all over the pitch. The centre of defence could certainly be improved upon and Torres is a player who has been linked with a move in the past.

The £48,000-a-week defender has started 31 La Liga games for Villarreal this season, proving to be a key figure and averaging 4.1 clearances per game.

Could Villa seal move for Torres?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Galetti claimed that Villa's interest in the Spaniard is genuine, with a possible summer move on the cards:

"The interest of Aston Villa in Pau Torres is concrete and the English club could soon speed up things for him, considering the fierce competition.

"The Spanish player, whose contract will expire in 2024, in fact, is also followed by some teams in Europe, including Tottenham and Juventus, even if the non-football situation forced the Bianconeri at the moment to put all their evaluation on the market on hold."

Torres could be a fantastic summer addition by Villa, acting as an upgrade on their current options, having won 23 caps for a star-studded Spain team. At 26, he has the perfect blend of experience and youth on his side, meaning he could come in as a leader, but also someone who shouldn't drop off for a number of years.

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has described Torres as both a "fabulous and "fantastic" player in the past and he could be a game-changer at the heart of the Villa defence moving forward, having averaged 1.3 tackles per match in the league this season, and won the Europa League in 2021. The fact that he has worked with Emery before is an added bonus, with the pair knowing each other inside out.

The fact that he is wanted by the likes of Tottenham and Juventus shows just how ambitious NSWE are at Aston Villa, which is a credit to Emery for the job he has done so far and the potential pull factor he brings.

NatWest will become the major ECB sponsor from next year, taking over the branding of the various teams which are currently under the Waitrose deal that will finish early in 2017, alongside its current sponsorships which include the T20 Blast and the CricketForce volunteering scheme.The bank has been heavily involved in English cricket since 1980 and the new four-year deal will take them beyond 40 years of association with the sport which began with the domestic 60-over NatWest Trophy.The shirt part of the deal – which includes all England teams – begins at the start of the busiest international summer which includes the Champions Trophy, Women’s World Cup, full tours by South Africa and West Indies and a visit by Ireland at the start of the season.David Wheldon, the chief marketing officer at NatWest, said: “Ever since we first established the NatWest Trophy in conjunction with the ECB in 1980, cricket has been ingrained in the DNA of NatWest and I am delighted that we will be re-invigorating this partnership by becoming the ECB’s first ever Principal Partner.”NatWest are also currently the title sponsors of the T20 Blast and that will continue for 2017 which was the final year of a four-year agreement that began in 2014.There is extensive debate about the future shape of England’s domestic T20 with a recent report saying that a new, franchise-based tournament could begin as early as 2018.One suggestion is that it could be played in conjunction with an 18-team county T20 that would retain its position mainly on Friday nights which has proved successful for some counties in boosting attendances.

يخوض منتخب مصر اليوم الأحد مواجهة صعبة أمام الكونغو الديمقراطية في دور الـ16 من كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023 المقامة في كوت ديفوار.

وتقام مباراة مصر والكونغو الديمقراطية بملعب سان بيدرو، في إطار لقاءات دور الـ16 من كأس أمم إفريقيا.

وتأهل منتخب مصر لدور الـ16 من كأس أمم إفريقيا، بعدما احتل المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة الثانية، برصيد 3 نقاط.

تمكن منتخب الكونغو الديمقراطية من احتلال المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة السادسة بعدما جمع 3 نقاط من التعادل في ثلاث لقاءات ضد المغرب وتنزانيا وزامبيا.

ويفتقد روي فيتوريا مدرب منتخب مصر لخدمات محمد صلاح بداعي الإصابة كما يغيب لاعب الوسط إمام عاشور بسبب بروتوكول العلاج الطبي بعد إصابته بارتجاج في المخ، إلى جانب محمد الشناوي المصاب بخلع في الكتف، بينما لم يعلن منتخب الكونغو الديمقراطية عن إصابات في صفوفه.

(محدث) مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة مصر والكونغو الديمقراطية في كأس أمم إفريقيا.. إعلان التشكيلين موعد مباراة مصر والكونغو الديموقراطية اليوم في كأس أمم إفريقيا

يلتقي منتخب مصر منافسه الكونغو الديمقراطية في دور الـ16 من كأس أمم إفريقيا اليوم الأحد 28 يناير، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر والكونغو الديمقراطية اليوم في كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023

تنقل المباراة عبر قناة “bein sports MAX 1″، باعتبارها الناقل الحصري للبطولة في إفريقيا والشرق الأوسط.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale is already eyeing up players ahead of next season, and a Championship winger is currently in his sights for a potential move to the Ibrox side.

What’s the latest on Chris Willock to Rangers?

Beale is looking at securing a cut-price deal for Queens Park Rangers winger Chris Willock this summer as he is keen on a reunion with the 25-year-old, according to the Daily Record.

QPR have an option to trigger an extended 12-month deal as his current contract ends this summer, but the Gers could either land him on the cheap or even for free – which could mark some excellent business from Beale.

Could Chris Willock replace Ryan Kent at Rangers?

It’s clear that Beale will require several attacking reinforcements this summer as Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are both out of contract at the end of the season. With Kent attracting interest from Burnley, the manager appears to be delving into the transfer market early to plan for his departure.

Willock, a former Arsenal starlet before moving abroad to join Benfica in 2017, certainly has talent, and he could be an ideal candidate to replace Kent if he does move on from the Light Blues.

Beale knows him well too, having coached him for a few months at the start of the season during his spell as QPR boss, lauding the player for his performances back in September, saying: “He (Willock) is in fantastic form at the minute.

“He is an excellent player, you look at his CV we know we’re fortunate to have him at QPR.

“I think he can play at the next level, he just has to make little adjustments.”

Suggesting he can play at the next level means a move to Ibrox wouldn’t faze him, and if he could repeat his feats with QPR over the previous 18 months north of the border, then Willock may well hit that 'next level'

Across 26 Championship matches this term, the winger has scored six goals and grabbed two assists, and although not as impressive as the 18 goal contributions he had the season before, there are still a few matches to go.

Kent has netted just three goals in 43 appearances this term, a worrying tally considering how much the club depend on him as a main goal threat.

Willock has also completed a higher percentage of successful dribbles than Kent this season (62% to 46%) and also scores more frequently than the Gers’ winger, netting every 273 minutes compared to 810 minutes for the 26-year-old.

We think the 5 foot 10 dynamo would be a worthwhile addition to the Rangers squad as Beale continues his rebuild and his statistics from the last couple of seasons suggest that if he was slotted into a better team, he could improve his attacking metrics with ease.

Aston Villa are thought to be showing an interest in Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez, according to 90min.

What’s the latest news on Villa and Gimenez?

Gimenez will turn 22 years of age later this month and has enjoyed a fine first season with Feyenoord after joining last summer. The Mexico international, now valued at a career-high €9m (£7.9m) by Transfermarkt, has scored 22 times and provided three assists in 41 appearances. His latest goal came on Wednesday evening against Ajax, which led to one media outlet describing him as a player “on fire”.

The left-footed forward appears to be catching the eye and has netted five times in the Europa League, with Feyenoord progressing to the quarter-finals.

90min reporters Lizzy Becherano and Graeme Bailey provided an update regarding Gimenez in the last 48 hours. They stated that Villa, along with Premier League rivals Brentford, Brighton, Leicester and Crystal Palace are all keeping an eye on the forward after his standout season in the Netherlands. The report adds that sides in France, Germany and Italy are also interested, name-checking Lille, Frankfurt and Napoli.

Why do Villa need someone like Gimenez?

Chief executive Christian Purslow is expecting a busy summer in the transfer market ahead of Unai Emery’s first full season in charge in the Midlands, with Ashley Preece stating that ‘a new No.9 to partner Ollie Watkins is at the top of Villa's shopping list’.

Watkins has been enjoying a purple patch in front of goal in recent months, scoring eight of his 11 Premier League goals in the last 10 games. However, despite his fine form, you can see why Emery is looking at bringing in another forward over the coming months. The Spaniard has just Watkins and teenager Jhon Duran as his only centre-forward options at this moment in time, while another youngster in Cameron Archer is out on loan with Middlesbrough.

Therefore, another experienced attacker alongside Watkins could be beneficial after selling Danny Ings in January, with Emery looking to take Villa to the next level. He has worked wonders so far and has taken the club to seventh in the Premier League table, picking up 32 points from his 16 top-flight games in charge.

Villa are still the joint-lowest scorers in the top half alongside Fulham with 39 goals in 29 games, so if the club are to push for European football next season, you’d expect they will need to increase that figure, something Gimenez could help with.