TalkSPORT pundit Andy Townsend has expressed his shock at one of Johan Lange's transfer decisions at Tottenham, branding it "astonishing".

Lange's enjoys terrific January window at Spurs

The new technical director, who officially stepped into Fabio Paratici's shoes in November last year, enjoyed what was a successful debut transfer window overseeing the club's signing strategy.

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While Paratici is still believed to play a role in assisting Tottenham's recruitment drive, the spotlight was on Lange and Chief Football Officer Scott Munn in January. The Lilywhites officials oversee footballing operations at Spurs, now chairman Daniel Levy is taking more of a back seat.

Arriving from Aston Villa with a solid reputation, Lange did it no harm at all with a very productive winter window at N17. Tottenham sealed the signing of Timo Werner on loan with an option to buy at around £15 million, and the German has gone on to become a success.

All of Johan Lange's January deals at Tottenham	Transfer
Radu Dragusin	Arrival
Timo Werner	Arrival
Lucas Bergvall	Arrival (summer)
Djed Spence	Exit (loan)
Sergio Reguilon	Exit (loan)
Japhet Tanganga	Exit (loan)
Ashley Phillips	Exit (loan)
Alejo Veliz	Exit (loan)
Eric Dier	Exit
Ivan Perisic	Exit

His two goals and three assists so far tell just half the story of his attacking impetus, and reports suggest Spurs are likely to make Werner's deal permanent this summer.

Lange also drove the astute purchase of Radu Dragusin in a £25 million deal from Genoa, who came in to provide manager Ange Postecoglou with a much-needed back up option to star defender Micky van de Ven.

To put the cherry on top, Spurs then sensationally beat La Liga heavyweights Barcelona in the race to sign Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall, who will link up with the club this summer after his loan back at Djurgardens IF.

Lange also rid the club of some deadwood and secured solid loan deals for a plethora of Postecoglou's squad who weren't going to see much action for the rest of this campaign. The club chief deserves credit for his work at Hotspur Way, but talkSPORT's Townsend has expressed his astonishment at one decision he made in January.

Townsend astonished by Timo Werner signing by Lange

Speaking to the broadcaster (via HITC), Townsend said he was shocked by Lange's decision to sign Werner, and went on to make a claim on the 28-year-old's future.

“I mean, listen, I don’t think he is anywhere near their best team, him. He is a sub, isn’t he? He is 10 minutes – Timo Werner," said Townsend.

“I thought he was an astonishing signing when he arrived, if I am being honest. And I can understand there are certain players you think, ‘Well, he has played Premier League football before, he knows what it is all about, he knows the demands of it’.

“But I would never see Timo Werner going in as a regular starter for Spurs if they want to go where Ange wants to take them.”

Given Werner's positive impact, this verdict comes as a surprising one, but it will be interesting to see if Townsend is proven correct.

In the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Manchester United have spent lots of money on signings who have ultimately not worked out, for whatever reason. In total, the Red Devils are believed to have spent over £1.5b since their legendary manager left the dugout in 2013.

Indeed, not every major singing United have made has been a complete failure. The best example is Bruno Fernandes, who is now the club’s captain. He has scored 79 goals and has registered 64 assists in just 239 games for the club, incredible output and superb value for money, considering they paid just £46.6m initially.

However, some signings have sadly not proven to work out in the end for both United and the player. Perhaps the best example of this is Romelu Lukaku, who signed for United in July 2017. The 42 goals he scored in 96 games for the club may not seem the worst at face value, but given the club spent £75m on the Belgian, the numbers certainly are frustrating.

However, there is one more recent signing who may end up proving to be worse value for money than others, considering the amount United spent on him, and the weekly wage he currently earns.

How much Man Utd have spent on Jadon Sancho

The player in question here is English attacker Jadon Sancho, who joined United with so much expectation that he would become a superstar. Sadly, it did not work out for the 24-year-old, and he is now back at Borussia Dortmund on loan, the club United paid £73m to for Sancho.

Despite being out on loan in Germany for the remainder of the season, Sancho is shockingly still one of the highest earners at United. According to Capology, he earns £190k-per-week, making him the club’s eighth-highest earner. Remarkably, that means he has earned the best part of £20m during his opening two years with the club. In short, it's been terrible business by the old regime.

One of the people who earns more than him is England teammate Marcus Rashford, whose £300k-per-week salary is fewer than just two players. Many United fans dreamed of seeing the duo tear things up on the pitch for the Red Devils, but, sadly, things did not work out that way.

In his 82 games for United, Sancho scored just 12 goals, and registered six assists. Unsurprisingly, given the fact he has played 399 games for the club, Rashford’s tally is much better; he has 131 goals and 64 assists in that time. However, he is having a tough season in 2023/24 and has just eight goals and five assists in all competitions so far. That tally still happens to be better than his fellow countryman who can boast only five goal involvements.

Surprisingly, the duo linked up for a goal just three times in 56 games for United together; at home to Southampton in 2021/22, away to Leicester in 2022/23 and away to Tottenham in the same season.

United could well look to move both Rashford and Sancho on this summer. According to James Ducker of The Telegraph, they are said to be considering moving Rashford on, although David Ornstein says they prefer to keep their number 10 at the club beyond this season. However, Sancho is still one player who could depart Old Trafford in search of pastures anew next season.

How Jadon Sancho could get his career back on track

Despite struggling during his time back in England, there is little doubt that Sancho is a quality player when in form. He has an unbelievably good record at Borussia Dortmund, across both spells at the club. In total, Sancho has 53 goals and 66 assists in 153 games.

During his current loan stint, the 24-year-old has had a decent time of it, registering three goals and two assists. He has also helped his side qualify for the Champions League semi-finals, where they face a showdown against Kylian Mbappe’s PSG.

The general consensus amongst onlookers when discussing Sancho’s profile and attributes is that, instead of playing out wide, he is far more suited as an interior, playing as an advanced eight or number 10, where he would thrive.

The main reason for this is Sancho’s lack of explosive speed, which all of the elite wingers in today’s game possess. Think Rashford, Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior. In another era, Sancho may well have suited playing out wide, however, since the game has evolved, his profile certainly suits that of an interior player much more.

Despite the fact Sancho does not possess the explosive nature of a modern winger, he is still an exceptional ball carrier, something which stands out when watching him. According to Fbref, the 24-year-old averages 5.68 progressive carries per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 7% of positionally similar players in Europe, and 2.65 carries into the penalty area per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 10%.

He has a low centre of gravity and superb close control, meaning the ability to slalom in and out of defenders with nimble agility is a real feature of his game. Not only that, Sancho has bags of tricks, skills he honed by playing cage football in the streets of Kennington growing up. He is not afraid to show off those tricks in a professional game, bringing them out at times to help him get past a defender.

Not only is he a tricky dribbler, but Sancho is also a creative player who can craft out openings in the final third for teammates. In fact, he averages 2.38 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes, which ranks him in the top 8% of wingers and attacking midfielders in Europe. He also averages 2.27 key passes per 90 minutes, ranking him in the 80th percentile overall.

Sancho is a player who is superb in combination play with a winger, full-back or midfielder. He is superb at playing in triangles to bypass opponents and shows his high levels of football IQ when playing in and around the penalty box, to work openings for him or a teammate.

The main concern for the forward moving back into midfield is his ability out of possession. The 24-year-old is not the strongest of players, and can sometimes lose physical duels or challenges. However, his 5.3 ball recoveries per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 15% of wingers and attacking midfielders, mean he is capable off the ball.

There is no doubt that, in the the right system, Sancho could thrive in a central area of the pitch, as an advanced eight or number 10. That said, due to his record in England, the Dortmund loanee simply has to be shown the exit door from OId Trafford by INEOS this summer.

He could still be a shrewd pick-up for a club looking to sign someone with his profile. The winger is a superb carrier, has good creative output and can score goals too. Even if it won't be in Manchester, there is no doubt Sancho still has a big future ahead.

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Wolves have begun planning for next season already, and have reportedly stuck in a bid for a youngster starring out on loan in Portugal.

Wolves eyeing up attacking additions

It is no secret that Gary O'Neil's Wolves side are a little light at the top of the pitch at the moment. Against Arsenal, they were forced to hand 20-year-old academy striker Tawanda Chirewa his first Premier League start after a raft of injuries left them without any alternative in the striker position, while Pablo Sarabia was the only senior attacker among the substitutes as he recovered from his own injury.

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O'Neil had feared that this would happen in January, when Wolves missed out on signing Armando Broja.

"We had a Premier League number nine lined up to come in and help us and a fairly small amount of money stopped us doing it", he explained. Unfortunately, the club were not in a position to be able to help us with that due to financial reasons.

"The situation the club is in is showing now. You can see now why the aim at the start of the season was to stay in the Premier League."

Wolves' frontline options 23/24

Player

Appearances

Pedro Neto

19

Matheus Cunha

27

Hwang-Hee Chan

23

Fabio Silva

8

Sasa Kalajdzic

11

Pablo Sarabia

26

They are looking to bolster their attacking ranks as well as signing a striker this summer, and have lined up a winger to help them do just that.

Wolves make offer for "incredible" Gomes

Now, it has been claimed that Wolves have already begun their restructuring in attack, and have tabled a bid for another Portuguese talent. The Midlands outfit have bought plenty of talent from Portugal in recent seasons with (mostly) successful results – sorry Fabio Silva.

The likes of Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes have all been hits at Molineux, and now they are looking to once again tap into that market.

As per Portuguese outlet Record [via Sport Witness], they are looking to achieve this through SC Braga attacker Rodrigo Gomes, who is currently on loan at Estoril for the season. He has shone during his spell away from Braga, with the 20-year-old having grabbed five goals and seven assists in 26 Portuguese top flight outings this season.

His performances have been dubbed "incredible" by U23 scout Antonio Mango on X, and Wolves clearly agree, as they sent a scout to watch him in action once more over the weekend, in a game against Chaves which finished 2-2.

The report adds that Wolves have even now made a tentative offer for his services, tabling a 5m euro bid to bring him to Molineux, though it is described as a 'relatively low bid' for the talent, who is currently on around £2,500-a-week.

Nonetheless, it is a clear signal of intent from the Premier League side, who may well be showcasing another young talent from Portugal come next season.

Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea didn’t prove to be too detrimental to their ambitions of finishing fourth in the Premier League, as Tottenham Hotspur lost to Arsenal on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s squad is on the cusp of achieving something extraordinary, having built a wonderful squad since arriving in October 2022.

This summer, however, he will be keen on moving some deadwood out the door in order to raise funds for future signings, with Leander Dendoncker surely top of the pile.

How much Aston Villa signed Leander Dendoncker for

Steven Gerrard brought the Belgian international to the Midlands as the summer transfer window was drawing to a close in September 2022, splashing out £13m on the midfielder.

On the surface, it looked like a decent signing. Dendoncker had represented Belgium in both the World Cup and the European Championship, while racking up 124 Premier League appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to his move.

Steven Gerrard's signings for Aston Villa in summer 2022

Player

Club signed from

Boubacar Kamara

Marseille

Diego Carlos

Sevilla

Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona

Leander Dendoncker

Wolves

Robin Olsen

AS Roma

Ludwig Augustinsson

Seville

Jan Bednarek

Southampton

Via Transfermarket

Fast-forward nearly two years, however, and the move hasn’t quite turned out as first anticipated, with the Belgian failing to really make much of an impression during his time at Villa Park – earning more than Matty Cash in the process.

Leander Dendoncker has rinsed Aston Villa dry

The former Anderlecht midfielder earns a staggering £90k-per-week at Villa, which is £10k more than Cash, who is currently earning £80k-per-week.

To put this into perspective, Cash is currently the first-choice right-back at the club, having played 43 games this season, scoring five goals and chipping in with three assists.

Emery clearly sees the English-born Polish international as an undisputed starter ahead of next season, yet he is still earning less than Dendoncker for his troubles.

The forgotten man is currently on loan at Napoli, appearing to have no future in the Midlands under Emery.

Since joining in 2022, the 29-year-old has rinsed the club dry of £20m – combining his £13m transfer fee with the £7m in wages that he has earned during that period – proving to be a colossal waste of money.

Leander Dendoncker’s Aston Villa stats

During his only full season at the club last term, he only made 21 appearances across all competitions, starting just 11 times, as he began to fall out of favour the moment Emery arrived in mid-October.

Among his teammates during 2022/23, Dendoncker only ranked 13th for overall Sofascore rating (6.7) in the Premier League, along with ranking 16th for accurate passes per game (13.8), 12th for accurate long balls per game (0.6) and for tackles per game (1), suggesting that even when he was given a chance in the team, he failed to produce the goods.

Emery will be hoping that his spell in Naples will put him in the shop window ahead of a summer move, as shifting his £90k-per-week wages could allow the manager to create space for potential signings – with Football Insider reporting that he has no future at the club moving forward, amid interest from Everton.

Dendoncker has certainly rinsed the club dry since September 2022 and the Spaniard will be hoping to avoid the mistakes Gerrard made when delving into the transfer market.

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Tottenham Hotspur took another step towards qualification for the Champions League with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lilywhites are now ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference and have a game in hand over their rivals, which puts them in a strong position to qualify for the competition.

Spurs did not qualify for any European tournament last season and that meant that they have had to go through the current campaign with their full focus on domestic football.

This has allowed them to push on in the Premier League to fight for Champions League qualification, which they are now on course to achieve.

Qualifying for the competition could see Ange Postecoglou strengthen his squad further to deal with the extra matches that would bring, and Spurs have already been linked with possible targets ahead of the summer transfer window.

Tottenham's interest in England U21 star

The Lilywhites are reportedly keen on a deal to add a versatile England U21 international to their ranks to add to their options on the flanks.

According to TuttoSport, Spurs are one of the teams interested in a swoop to sign Juventus dynamo Samuel Iling-Junior at the end of the season.

The report claims that fellow Premier League side Fulham are also eyeing up the former Chelsea youngster, as Marco Silva wants to revamp his wing department.

It states that both teams have set their sights on the 20-year-old wizard, who can play on the wing or at full-back, and that he could be available to sign.

TuttoSport reports that Juventus have failed to agree a contract extension, after talks with the young gem, and that his current deal is due to expire in the summer of 2025. This means that he will only have one year left on his contract this summer, which could make it the last chance for the Italian side to cash in on him.

The outlet states that the Serie A giants are hoping to rake in a fee of at least €15m (£12.8m) for the English talent, rather than losing him for nothing 12 months later.

Spurs are now hoping to swoop in to take advantage of his contractual situation, which has seemingly forced Juventus into considering a sale, this summer.

Tottenham could repeat their Dejan Kulusevski masterclass by landing another impressive young winger from the Italian side to bolster their Premier League squad.

Dejan Kulusevski's Spurs career in numbers

The club signed the Sweden international on an 18-month loan deal from Juventus in January 2022 and eventually made that move permanent in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £25m.

He hit the ground running with a fantastic return of five goals and eight assists in 18 Premier League appearances, which included 14 starts, during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign – almost one goal contribution per start on average.

His form, however, dipped during the 2022/23 season as the left-footed forward produced just two goals and seven assists in 30 top-flight appearances.

That did not stop Spurs from making the deal permanent last summer, though, and the 23-year-old has looked back to his best at times this term.

Appearances

29

xG

3.5

Goals

6

Big chances created

12

xA

5.9

Assists

3

As you can see in the table above, Kulusevski has been lethal in front of goal – with six goals from just 3.5 xG – and has been let down by his teammates in the final third.

He has only racked up three assists from 5.9 xA and 12 'big chances' created, which suggests that his fellow forwards have been wasteful with the chances that have come their way in the box at times through the Swedish star's impressive creativity.

Overall, though, these statistics show that the young winger has the ability to provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from out wide on a consistent basis.

He has, therefore, been a fantastic signing for Spurs, after just one goal and three assists in his last 20 Serie A games for Juventus, and they could land their next version of him by securing a deal for Iling-Junior.

Why Spurs should sign Samuel Iling-Junior

The 20-year-old, like Kulusevski, is a left-footed forward who can play on either flank, although he has predominantly been deployed down the left.

This season, however, the young gem has been utilised as a left-midfielder in Juventus' usual 3-5-2 system, which has given him experience both defensively and offensively, essentially acting as a wing-back for the Italian giants, in the Serie A.

Last summer, analyst Ben Mattinson claimed that Iling-Junior's "explosive" wing play was "wasted" in the Serie A side's "negative" tactics, and his underlying statistics this season suggest that there is some truth to that.

The England U21 international has only started two league matches for Juventus and, yet, ranks within the top 3% of his positional peers for Expected Assisted Goals (0.33) per 90, and the top 7% for non-penalty goals (0.16) per 90 with one goal and two assists.

He has been electric in the final third when given an opportunity to play but has rarely been provided with minutes – with just two league starts – and this suggests that his talent has been wasted so far this season.

Iling-Junior produced 14 goals and 15 assists in 58 games for Juventus at U19 level as a winger and Postecoglou could unlock his true potential by bringing him back to London, having left Chelsea as a teenager, to play as a forward.

Instead of being, essentially, a back-up wing-back for Juventus, the left-footed "assist machine" – as dubbed by Eurosport's Michele Neri – could come in to provide competition on the flanks at Spurs, given the impressive attacking qualities he possesses.

Iling-Junior, who scored two goals for England U21s against Luxembourg last month from a wide position, is another talented young player the club could snap up from Italy to bolster their ranks.

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Therefore, the English whiz could join as Kulusevski 2.0 and look to follow in the Swedish star's footsteps to become a key Tottenham performer after struggling for game time with the Old Lady.

Ness Wadia, co-owner of Kings XI, is even preparing for the possibility that the tournament doesn’t take place at all

Vishal Dikshit and Nagraj Gollapudi14-Mar-2020The BCCI and the IPL franchise owners have decided to adopt a wait-and-watch approach over when and how to hold the IPL. They want to give health and safety of the players and people involved in holding the IPL priority and are likely to discuss its schedule again after two-three weeks, depending on how the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) situation unfolds in India, where, as of Friday, two lives have been lost because of it.The BCCI top brass met top executives of all eight franchises at its headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, including Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani, Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia, among others, after the board had deferred the start of the tournament until April 15. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said that now that two weeks of the schedule was lost, there was no option but to hold a “truncated” IPL, and the board would “assess and monitor” the situation in the country on a weekly basis. Whether the IPL will be truncated in terms of days or matches remains to be seen.”If it is [postponed till] April 15, then it in any case 15 days are gone, so it has to be truncated one,” Ganguly said. “How truncated, how many games I can’t say at the moment.”Wadia said that the BCCI, the franchise owners and host broadcaster had decided to prioritise people’s health and that they were not concerned by any monetary downsides. Wadia even said he was prepared for the possibility of the IPL not happening at all if the situation did not improve. ESPNcricinfo understands that a few other scheduling options, including a truncated IPL, came up for discussion during the meeting but it was too “premature” to take the discussions forward right now.ALSO READ: Overseas players’ visas and double-headers – things IPL franchises would want clarity on”The meeting was to discuss the possible scenarios. Number one, most importantly, everyone in India and the world must understand, the BCCI, nor the IPL nor Star is here to gain monetary benefit by having the IPL,” Wadia told reporters after the meeting. “All the stakeholders, especially the BCCI and owners and Star, feel that it is incorrect to think about even one rupee. So we are not interested in money, we are not interested in having any gain from this situation and trying to hold the IPL without a clear understanding of the situation. Having said that, number one is the health and safety of everyone is looked after.”Number two, we will follow whatever the government direction is.”From a third perspective, no one is in a position to say when it’s going to start. We will review the situation after two-three weeks and hopefully by then the [coronavirus] cases will reduce. We should be clear that the most important thing is health and safety, not [financial] gain at the moment. We are not here to earn money, we are here to serve and protect the people.”Public sentiment needs to be considered too – Shah Rukh Khan
ESPNcricinfo understands all eight franchises had held a teleconference on Friday to discuss issues that needed the IPL to address at Saturday’s meetings. The main points of discussion were: would the owners want to go ahead with the tournament, should it be played behind closed doors?It was agreed that they did not have much of an option other than following the BCCI and government directive.Among the owners present during that conference was Shah Rukh Khan, who stressed that the public’s feelings must assume top priority. “Whatever you do, the common man should not get a feeling that we are pushing for the IPL. It is their sentiment that needs to be considered, too, before any call is taken,” a franchise executive, who was present on the call, said of the point Shah Rukh had made.A day later, Shah Rukh reiterated that stance to the BCCI. “What has to be borne in mind is firstly how does the (common man) see it? What is their feelings? That has to be looked at along with the other aspects,” is what Shah Rukh is supposed to have said, according to a franchise’s CEO who was present at Saturday’s meeting.Back-up options
Before deciding to defer IPL 2020 as well as rescheduling the India-South Africa ODI series the BCCI’s top brass, led by its president Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, met with Uday Shankar, head of Star India, the host broadcaster, in Mumbai on Friday. In 2017 Star had paid a record sum of USD 2.55 billion to get the global broadcast rights for the IPL until 2022.One of the points for discussion was stretching the tournament past May 24 – according to the original schedule, the final was slated to be held on this date. Keeping in mind the onset of monsoon in the first week of June, the latest cut-off date was set as June 5. At Saturday’s meeting, the franchises were told that tournament could be played until first week of June if need be.The other options, as reported by ESPNcricinfo on Friday, included the possibility of more double-headers. One other option discussed on Saturday was in the case there would be a government clearance to go ahead with IPL in April, it could be played at limited venues to curtail travel, something many countries are banning people from doing amid the growing outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.The participation of the overseas players was another concern for franchises and the BCCI agreed that in case no players from outside India could feature, then the tournament might not go ahead. However, with the situation in flux, all stakeholders agreed that it would be prudent to not rush into any decision and instead wait for the BCCI to update the franchises periodically.Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan at the BCCI headquarters•PTI

When asked if any back-up options of rescheduling the tournament were discussed in the meeting that lasted around 90 minutes, Wadia said: “That’s hypothesising. This is not a situation to hypothesise. This is a serious pandemic. Thousands of people have died across the world, luckily only two in India.”As far as your next question is, ‘will the foreign players come or not?’, I don’t know. There is a [visa] ban till April 15th and then we’ll see. So if IPL happens, great; if it doesn’t, so be it.”Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Capitals, said the BCCI will “probably” call for another meeting with the owners in the coming weeks after “watching” the situation as the board keeps in touch with the Indian government. The central government placed several travel restrictions for people going in and out of India, cancelling all visas until April 15. The government had also said sporting organisations would need to adhere to the health ministry’s guidelines to avoid mass gatherings which had prompted the BCCI to think about holding IPL matches in front of empty stands.”We are committed to IPL, we would like IPL to happen but we have to wait and watch based on the virus and how it progresses.,” Jindal said.The coronavirus has struck over 100 countries globally, leading to over 5000 deaths and forcing cancellation and rescheduling of all international and domestic cricket. Soon after the IPL was deferred on Friday, the BCCI and Cricket South Africa announced the rescheduling of the remaining two India-South Africa ODIs that were to be played on March 15 (Lucknow) and 18 (Kolkata). The first Australia-New Zealand ODI happened in front of empty stands at the SCG on Friday and the remaining two ODIs as well as the subsequent three-match T20I series were also cancelled on Saturday after the New Zealand government imposed travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The German legend was hard to contain, scoring and assisting after coming off the bench for the Galaxy

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• Marco Reus came on a substitute
• Atlanta DP Alexey Miranchuk also debuted
• Tim Ream makes first CLTFC appearance

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After a month away, the MLS regular season resumed, and the stars were out – on the pitch.

  Several high-profile summer transfer window signings made their first appearances for their new clubs Saturday night. In a night full of fresh faces, Marco Reus stole the show by assisting on the game-winner against Atlanta United FC, setting up Riqui Puig, and then sealing the contest minutes later with a goal of his own.

  The Dortmund legend laid off a simple pass to an onrushing Puig in the box, giving the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 76th minute. Then, Reus returned to the box and one-timed a rocket for a precise finish in the 84th minute.

  It was a debut that very few in Hollywood could have scripted.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It can take even the best MLS DPs time to adjust to the league, but Reus seemed at ease from the start and likely could have had another goal.

  For the Galaxy, this is a significant signal of intent. The team is already first in the Western Conference but has done so quietly, while their city neighbors, LAFC, have created more buzz. If Reus can stay healthy, his presence could solidify Greg Vanney's side as serious contenders.

  Reus wasn't the only DP to make a debut in the Galaxy-United match; Alexey Miranchuk also made his first appearance for Atlanta. The midfielder has already endeared himself to MLS fans with his hip-hop takes, but time will tell if he can live up to his $13.5 million price tag.

  In the Eastern Conference, U.S. international Tim Ream made his long-awaited return to MLS with Charlotte, ironically going up against his first professional club, the New York Red Bulls. Charlotte drew 1-1 in their home match against New York.

  Moving away from debuts, scoring was on display in MLS's return. A whopping 43 goals were scored Saturday, with New England leading the way with five against Montreal. It's a good rebound for Caleb Porter and the Revs, who started the season on a bleak note. Concerns will continue to mount for CF Montreal's Laurent Courtois.

• REAM DISCUSSES MLS RETURN

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Luca Langoni, another new face in MLS, became the first Revolution player to score a goal and provide an assist in his debut, following his club-record transfer last week from Argentine side CA Boca Juniors.

Lionesses and Chelsea star Lauren James has launched the 'LJ10 Scholarship' in a bid to "increase diversity" in women's football.

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James launches 'LJ10 Scholarship'Announces initiative on InstagramWSL begins on September 10WHAT HAPPENED?

On top of the England international successes on the pitch, the 22-year-old has set up this new scholarship programme for young girls from minority backgrounds in football. This enterprise launches this month, with the goal of helping up-and-coming youngsters navigate the early years of their careers.

AdvertisementWHAT LAUREN JAMES SAID

In the letter, she wrote: “I grew up in a house of football. I was lucky that I had the support of those around me to play and be put in environments where I could succeed. But that success didn't come easy, and I saw girls that look like us fall away, because they didn't have that support. Now, I'm in a position where I can try to make a bit of a difference. It won't happen all at once, but we need to get more diversity in the women's game and that starts with giving girls like you – who have the talent to succeed – every chance to do so.”

She added: "This is just the beginning and I hope you're excited for what's to come."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

James has become an inspiration for many aspiring young footballers and this scholarship will increase that further still. Footballers have frequently used their fame to help others, such as Marcus Rashford's successful free school meals campaign, and James is the latest example of that.

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USA TODAY SportsWHAT NEXT?

While this scholarship campaign will begin to get off the ground, James is preparing for the new Women's Super League season. Before their WSL opener against Aston Villa on September 20, Chelsea host Feyenoord in a friendly on Saturday.

Aston Villa suffered a European hangover on Sunday as they were defeated 1-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.

Despite the loss, Villa are still in control of their destiny when it comes to securing a Champions League spot for next season, seven points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, albeit the London side have a game in hand.

Unai Emery will have to motivate the players ahead of their Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos on Thursday evening, although several who started over the weekend could find themselves on the bench, most notably Moussa Diaby.

Moussa Diaby’s game in numbers vs Brighton

The Frenchman registered a goal and an assist during the first leg last week, but this display was sandwiched in between two poor performances in the Premier League.

Against Chelsea, he came on for the injured Youri Tielemans, before being subbed off with ten minutes left, failing to have a positive impact at all.

Moussa Diaby's stats vs Brighton

Goals

0

Assists

0

Shots on target

1

Total duels (won)

2 (0)

Pass success

7/12 (58%)

Crosses

0

Dribbles

0

Possession lost

6

Via Sofascore

On Sunday, the winger was once again anonymous during a Premier League match. Not only did he take just 17 touches during his time on the pitch, but the former Bayer Leverkusen gem also completed only seven of his 12 attempted passes and managed only one shot on target during the game.

His defensive output was also poor. Diaby won zero of his two ground duels contested along with losing possession six times and being dribbled past once. In a match where he was expected to shine, carrying on from midweek, the player looked tired.

Indeed, he was given a match rating of 5/10 by Birmingham Mail journalist John Townley for his performance. Does Emery drop him for the second leg? Or will he stick with the French winger in the hope that he improves?

Moussa Diaby’s statistics this season

Despite scoring ten goals and grabbing eight assists, It's fair to say Diaby hasn’t quite lived up to his staggering £51.9m transfer fee.

Out of his 51 appearances for the club this term, the 24-year-old has started only 33, with Emery occasionally using him as an impact sub.

Among his teammates, Diaby does rank fourth for goals and assists (13) in the top flight, while also ranking second for shots on target per match (0.6), first for big chances created (12) and fifth for key passes per game (1.2), proving that he is one of Villa’s most dangerous attacking threats.

After this poor display against Brighton, however, Emery could well drop him to the bench against the Greek side, perhaps using him as a late sub if things are close.

Should Villa qualify for the Champions League, Diaby could use this as a platform to really showcase his talents and rediscover the incredible form which saw him shine for Leverkusen – registering 97 goal contributions in just 172 matches – between 2019 and 2023.

The Midlands side will have to come out firing on Thursday. If they manage to score an early goal, the club have a good chance of making it through to the final.