The Blues have become experts at planning ahead within the women's game, and thus have a squad capable of winning more honours in the coming years

And so Emma Hayes' Chelsea tenure is over. The Blues' iconic manager bid farewell in style on Saturday when she helped her team lift a fifth successive Women's Super League title, the 16th piece of silverware in an incredible 12-year stint in west London. It might not have been the trophy-laden end that the players wanted to deliver, but it was a high for Hayes, and other key players who are also departing, to go out on after a tough season.

It's not long until Chelsea fans will be adjusting their eyes to the rather strange sight of her being in another dugout, either. Hayes is set to take over the United States women's national team almost immediately, with her first game in charge of the four-time world champions to come on June 1. It will be the first time she coaches a side other than Chelsea in a competitive setting since her ill-fated spell as manager of the Chicago Red Stars came to an end back in 2010.

There's a lot of talk about what is next for Hayes in that role and what she could do for the USWNT ahead of this summer's Olympic Games, as they try to reassert themselves following last year's shock early exit from the World Cup. It's certainly an exciting appointment for the U.S. and neutrals will be intrigued to see how it unfolds, too.

But what is next for Chelsea? After 12 years with Hayes at the helm, there is a new era coming, one made more significant by the departures of other members of the coaching staff and two key players in Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde. But as they transition into this new chapter, there are reasons for fans of the Blues to be excited.

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  Top-level squad

  After all, let’s look at the team that the new coach, likely to be Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor, is going to take over. It’s a squad that boasts 26 senior international footballers, an exceptional leader in Millie Bright and some genuinely world-class players, such as Catarina Macario and Sam Kerr, if the latter does as reports are suggesting and renews her expiring contract.

  Even if it takes Hayes’ successor some time to adjust to the job, there are players at their disposal who can win games to allow the new boss that little extra time to settle. However, if there are a few bumps in the road in the first stages of this post-Hayes era, it shouldn’t cause too many immediate concerns either. That’s because it’s the rising stars in this team that make Chelsea a mouth-watering prospect.

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  More to come

  Hayes is leaving behind a young squad, and while it is not as stacked as some of those from previous years – think about that which had Kerr, Kirby and Pernille Harder in full flow, for example, and reached the Champions League final – it could reach those levels in due course.

  That’s because those who have shone this past season, which was a difficult one given the injuries the Blues had to deal with, are all still to reach their prime years. Hannah Hampton, aged 23, has already become the team’s first-choice goalkeeper and looks like she could hold that position for club – and maybe even country – for years to come. Jess Carter, still only 26 years old, has risen to the occasion in the heart of defence while Bright has been injured, holding down the fort despite the ever-rotating cast around her. Niamh Charles, the 24-year-old forward-turned-defender, has made the left-back role her own and been better than anyone else in that position in the WSL this year.

  In the engine room, Erin Cuthbert, 25 years old, has shared captaincy duties with Charles and regularly produced in the big moments, most notably to give Chelsea a shock win in Barcelona, while Sjoeke Nusken, only 23, has had an outstanding first season in England despite playing no fewer than five different positions.

  Lauren James, meanwhile, has become the leader of the Blues' attack over the course of the campaign. At just 22, the England forward possesses true world-class potential, and can still take her game to even higher levels.

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  Promise for the future

  That’s before we get onto the likes of Macario (24), Mayra Ramirez (25) and Mia Fishel (23), senior players with big international experiences who have shown glimpses of what they can offer and will contribute even more when they can have injury-free seasons.

  And also before we talk about the young players coming through behind this crop, too. Chelsea have always had some homegrown talents in the squad – Drew Spence and Hannah Blundell are two of the biggest success stories, with Aggie Beever-Jones flying the flag right now – and they have long had an ability to develop young players signed from elsewhere, with Bright and Kirby two key examples.

  However, it’s clear that in recent years there has been greater emphasis on signing these young stars, to the point that many more are coming from abroad as well as within England – and they are arriving at younger ages, too.

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  Emphasis on the next generation

  In the last two years alone, Chelsea have signed four teenagers who have shown real potential in their exposure to senior football, in Lucy Watson, Maika Hamano, Brooke Aspin and Wieke Kaptein – all of whom have then been loaned back out. Reports suggest they could add two 20-year-olds, in Barcelona's Julia Bartel and England youngster Ruby Mace, this summer, too.

  The loan system is probably under-used in women’s football in England, but the Blues are taking steps to ensure they don’t let the opportunities it can provide go to waste, especially because they want to give young players a chance but know that stepping into this Chelsea team isn’t easy.

  "I think we're at that stage of our journey now where we recognise that to play at this level is not as simple as just making a signing and bringing them into your club,” Hayes said last season. “That development pathway for the younger player now is going to involve preparation that might see them cross borders. The loan process is one that we should embrace, especially when the development of the league and the top teams in that league has just grown exponentially.”

They reached their eighth IPL final, and came within one ball of winning their fourth title, but MS Dhoni doesn’t think Chennai Super Kings played “very good cricket” along the way. Middle-order batting, he felt, was one area that “never clicked”.After losing a seesawing final in dramatic circumstances, Dhoni summed up the contest in typically pithy fashion: both teams made a lot of mistakes, and kept “passing the trophy to each other”.”As a team we had a good season,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “But I think we need to go back and reflect as to how we reached the finals, and I don’t think it was one of those years where we played very good cricket and we got into the finals. I think there was plenty that could have been done from our side, especially in the middle-order batting, it never really clicked for us from the start, but somehow we were able to manage.”Today also, losing the game always hurts, but today was one game that we should have done slightly better. And looking at it as an IPL final, I think both the teams, it was quite funny: we were just passing the trophy to each other. We committed a lot of mistakes, and Mumbai Indians also did the same. At the end of the day the winning team was the one that committed one mistake less than the other team.”I think it was a very good final, it went close, last ball, so couldn’t have gone better, but overall I think we need to go back to the drawing board and see the areas where we need to improve for next season.”Dhoni credited his bowling attack for keeping Super Kings competitive through the season, but stressed that there were gaps that the team would need to plug to maintain their levels next season.”I think the bowlers did very well for us,” he said. “Even today, if you see, it was not a 150 wicket. It was definitely a more than 150 wicket. But the bowlers throughout the tournament they kept us into the hunt, and they kept performing, they kept getting wickets when it was really needed. And batting also, overall, somebody kept chipping in, and that’s how we kept winning games, and whenever the bowlers restricted the opposition to a decent score, we were able to chase it down.”I think that’s how we did fairly well in the tournament. But again, you know, to be consistent, to come back next year, and try to get into the knockout stages of the tournament I think we’ll have to really think hard.”As to whether he would be back next year, Dhoni kept it enigmatic. Sanjay Manjrekar, the commentator on presentation duty, concluded his interview by telling Dhoni, “well done, and we’ll see you again next season.”Dhoni’s response was brief. “Hopefully, yes.”

The five-wicket win was set up by some excellent bowling from Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer

The Report by Vishal Dikshit20-Apr-20198:16

Post-match show – Royals v Mumbai

Rajasthan Royals announced a change of captain just over an hour before the game against Mumbai Indians and, three-and-a-half hours later, saw new captain Steven Smith lead the team home in a tricky chase with an unbeaten half-century.The five-wicket win was set up mainly by some strangling bowling from Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer, after Mumbai Indians had looked set for a much bigger total than 161 for 5, having reached 81 for 1 at the halfway mark.Archer and Jaydev Unadkat bowled five of the last six overs that saw Mumbai score only 52 runs. Legspinner Rahul Chahar gave Royals a scare early on in the chase, again bagging three wickets, but Smith’s unbeaten 59 off 48 balls took them home after he had brought the equation down to 25 required from 24 balls along with Riyan Parag. Royals now have six points from nine matches, still placed seventh, while Mumbai are at No. 2 with 12 points from ten games.Steven Smith cracks one to the off side•BCCI

Aggressive openers and contrasting No. 3s
On a strange Jaipur pitch that had scattered patches of grass, both Powerplays were driven by the more attacking openers – Quinton de Kock for Mumbai and Sanju Samson for Royals. Put in to bat, de Kock used the middle- and leg-stump lines of the Royals pace bowlers and the ball turning into him from Shreyas to pepper the leg-side boundary, scoring 42 of his first 50 runs there. Jofra Archer put him down at long-on when he was on 4 in the third over, and that helped, as de Kock cashed in to hammer three fours and a six on the trot off Dhawal Kulkarni in the next over.Mumbai, however, lost steam after de Kock’s 34-ball half-century. Their No. 3 Suryakumar Yadav scratched his way to 34 off 33, with only one boundary (a six) in his first 30 balls. His slow scoring added pressure on de Kock, and both fell within a space of five balls, and Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard were left with too much to do at the end.Royals’ chase started with Samson hitting two consecutive fours off Hardik in the first over, followed by three off Krunal Pandya in the next to race to 21 off his first seven deliveries. Ajinkya Rahane handed a catch to cover in the fourth over before Royals’ No. 3, Smith, played the role Suryakumar could not earlier in the day, to help the hosts race to 60 for 1 in the Powerplay.After Chahar had Samson hole out to long-on for 35 off 19 and Ben Stokes chop on a legbreak for a duck, Smith changed gears to anchor the chase as Royals unveiled a new No. 5.Jofra Archer spilled three catches in the deep•BCCI

The 17-year-old Royals enforcer
Mumbai have been known to unleash unknown youngsters in the past, but were on the receiving end this time when 17-year-old Parag walked out at 77 for 3 after eight overs. With a healthy run rate going, Parag used audacious strokes to attack whichever the Mumbai bowlers erred with their lines or lengths, sometimes even when there was nothing wrong with the delivery. He first scooped Hardik to fine leg, then scythed him to third man, and later smashed Chahar for six down the ground. He even took on Malinga when he sent down an inaccurate yorker by drilling a drive over the covers.Parag’s 43 off 29 made sure Smith could afford to slow down and chaperone the chase as the senior batsman. From 29 off 18, Smith went without a boundary for 18 deliveries to avoid a stutter despite late wickets that included Parag’s run-out and another first-ball duck for Ashton Turner.Archer’s mixed day
Apart from dropping de Kock early on, Archer put down two more chances – both of Hardik, both off Unadkat – but he made up for them with his bowling. Smith saved three of his overs for the death and Archer was accurate with a variety of deliveries: yorkers, bouncers, tight lines. That strangled Mumbai in the end despite having Hardik and Pollard in the middle when the 16th over started.Before that, Shreyas used his wrong’uns to good effect yet again to get the big wickets. He took a return catch off Rohit Sharma with his third delivery and returned seven overs later to concede only singles and doubles in his remaining three overs. He nearly had de Kock stumped with a googly in the 13th over but got him in his next over with another wrong’un, a top-edge going to long-on.The result means that Mumbai are now winless against Royals in Jaipur since 2012.

The Ange Postecoglou era at Spurs began with a seismic departure as Harry Kane left to join Bayern Munich for a whopping £100m. Given that Kane had scored 32 goals in his final season, around 39% of Spurs' total in all competitions, it was fair to be concerned about the loss of firepower, particularly after the Lilywhites elected not to sign a specialist senior replacement.

But up to this point, it's hard to argue that Kane has been an especially big miss. Spurs rank fourth in the Premier League for goals per 90 minutes (1.95), and rather than suffering from a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, they've actually been the second most clinical team in the division with an xG overperformance of 4.6. Only reigning champions Manchester City (7.3) can better that.

Still, a long-term Kane replacement looks to be on the agenda for Postecoglou in 2024, and Dominic Solanke has emerged as a target. Football Insider recently reported that both Spurs and their north London rivals Arsenal are "keen" on a deal, and now there's been a new update.

Spurs learn Solanke price tag

The same outlet now states that Solanke "will cost more than £50m" if he leaves the Vitality Stadium this summer. That price tag is based on his output this season and his homegrown status, which makes him an especially valuable commodity.

Newcastle are also said to be interested, with Andoni Iraola's side "bracing for offers" for their frontman ahead of the summer. It now remains to be seen whether Spurs launch a bid in the hope of winning the battle.

Solanke a "dream" for Postecoglou

Solanke, who's the reigning Premier League Player of the Month after winning the December prize, has scored 12 top-flight goals this season, matching Spurs' Son Heung-min. Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and last year's record-breaking Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland (both 14) have found the net more often.

The 26-year-old has achieved that feat from an xG of 11.0, the third-highest in the league and a reflection of both the quality of his movement and the sustainability of his strike rate. He's only needed one penalty to get to 12 too.

Dominic Solanke

Stat

Son Heung-min

12

Goals

12

65

Shots

51

11.0

xG

7.1

7

Big chances missed

3

But importantly, there's more to his game than goalscoring. Gary O'Neil, his manager at Bournemouth last season, called him a "dream" option because "he literally does everything he can" to help the team, whether it's pressing or additional work in possession. O'Neil went as far as to dub him "the hardest working centre-forward" he's ever seen.

The stats show what he's talking about. Compared to forwards in similar leagues over the past year, Solanke ranks in the 80th percentile for blocks per 90, and up in the 94th for defensive actions leading to shots. This will particularly intrigue Postecoglou, who has placed a big emphasis on winning the ball high up the pitch. Spurs allow the second-fewest passes per defensive action (9.5) of any team after Liverpool (2.3), and they've recorded more high turnovers (214) than any team.

Solanke is also capable of picking up the ball in deeper areas and driving forward – he occupies the 74th percentile for progressive carrying distance and the 82nd for carries into the penalty area. It's a comprehensive all-round package that certainly looks worth the £50m outlay, but the extent of the competition isn't surprising either.

A worrying Aston Villa exit update has emerged regarding an "underrated" Villa Park hero, with one of the biggest clubs in Europe thought to be keen on signing him.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have the funds available from NSWE to make new signings in the January transfer window, should Unai Emery see it as a good opportunity to strengthen his options. One player who has emerged as a rumoured target for Villa is Celtic star Matt O'Riley, with the Denmark international enjoying an excellent season for the Scottish Premiership outfit to date, scoring nine goals and also adding five assists in the league.

He is far from the only Villans target, however, with Atletico Madrid's Nahuel Molina also someone who has been backed to join the Emery revolution at the club. Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville is a potential option, too, with the Dutchman seen as someone who could add more attacking firepower to the squad.

On the flip side, there are some players who Villa will be desperate to keep hold of, seeing them as key figures for years to come, and a concerning update has dropped regarding one such individual who clearly falls into that bracket.

Barcelona want Douglas Luiz

According to a front-page news update from Spanish outlet Sport [via Sport Witness], Barcelona are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in 2024, with the La Liga giants wanting to "make a massive investment" in him.

Barca's sporting director, Deco, sees the Brazilian as an ideal player to bring in and boost their quality in the middle of the park, as he continues to enjoy an excellent season for Villa. In fact, the former Chelsea midfielder has even made a number of trips to watch Luiz in action, including against Arsenal earlier this month, as he helped his side to a memorable 1-0 victory over the much-fancied Gunners.

The report states that Monchi could demand as much €100m (£86.9m) for the midfielder's services, however, that doesn’t seem to scare Barca, who feel they will have the funds to sign Luiz next summer.

Losing Luiz would be an enormous setback for Emery and the Villa supporters, considering what a vital figure he has become in midfield, anchoring it so impressively and forging a great understanding with Boubacar Kamara. He has been lauded by Paul Merson in the recent past, who has called him "one of the most underrated players in the league."

Douglas Luiz's Premier League stats this season	Total
Appearances	18
Goals	5
Assists	3
Tackles per game	2.1
Pass completion rate	88.4%

While Barcelona may not quite have the pulling power they did during the height of their powers under Pep Guardiola, they are still a huge draw for many players, especially Brazilians, considering some of the legends from their country to have played for them in the past. For that reason, it is easy to imagine Luiz's head being turned by a move to the Camp Nou, but the hope is that he sees enough in what Emery has created at Villa to remain there for the foreseeable future.

Manchester United could look at a low-cost striker signing this month and have already made an approach to sign a former Premier League forward.

Man Utd striker rumours

The Red Devils have had plenty of issues in the final third under Erik ten Hag this season, scoring 22 goals in 20 games, with only Burnley and Sheffield United netting fewer in the top flight.Midfielder Scott McTominay is the club’s top scorer alongside Rasmus Hojlund in all competitions, although the latter has just one league goal to his name following his big-money move from Atalanta in the summer.As a result, a new forward appears to be required in 2024, and the January transfer window provides the club with the opportunity to add one for the second half of the campaign. A number of attacking players have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, including RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, who was initially seen as a summer target.

Serhou Guirassy

31st December

Nico Williams

19th December

Donyell Malen

8th December

Max Moerstedt

7th December

Timo Werner

1st December

A new update has now emerged from Old Trafford, with funds looking tight this winter.

Man Utd have made contact for Timo Werner

Reliable reporters Laurie Whitwell and Dan Sheldon of The Athletic shared a Man Utd transfer update on Tuesday, looking at the club’s plans for the January window. Not a lot of money looks set to be available to Ten Hag this month, although a new centre-forward appears to be the priority target, so ‘United might squeeze out another low-cost loan’. When it came to possible additions on a temporary basis, they said on Werner:“Contact has also been made to check on the potential cost of RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner, who has scored twice in eight Bundesliga games this season. Werner was on United’s radar before he moved to Chelsea in 2020. United are keeping an eye on the market for that kind of ready-made striker.” Another option named is Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, although he is set to be at the African Cup of Nations in January.Werner, formerly of Chelsea, has come up against United four times in his career, all during his time with the Blues. He played at Old Trafford twice and drew on both occasions during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.Now back with Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Werner has scored 18 times in 54 appearances during his second spell with the club, taking his total tally to 113 goals in 213 games. (Timo Werner stats at RB Leipzig – Transfermarkt)Still 27 years of age, he appears to be a player of interest for a long time at Old Trafford, so if a loan move is an option this month, it could make sense to provide competition to the likes of Hojlund for the remainder of the campaign, following in the footsteps of Odion Ighalo in 2020 and Wout Weghorst last season when it comes to low-cost temporary options in attack ahead of the summer.

Rangers are believed to be showing an interest in signing a player dubbed a "human wrecking ball" this month, adding more firepower to their attack in the process.

Rangers transfer news

The Gers will surely want to conduct some important business during the January transfer window, as they can now strengthen their squad with players who Philippe Clement specifically wants to suit his style of play for the very first time.

It would be a surprise if nobody else came in after Fabio Silva, particularly because of the number of stories linking Rangers with reinforcements, with interest in Hearts star man Lawrence Shankland implying the Ibrox outfit would like more end product.

Liverpool youngster Owen Beck is also considered an option, with the left-back expected to head out on loan again after returning to Merseyside from a positive stint at Dundee earlier in the campaign. Nottingham Forest attacker Emmanuel Dennis is another player who has been thrown into the mix, with a move to Ibrox possible if he gets his wish.

Added firepower in the final third is so important in the Scottish Premiership title race, so bringing in someone who can make a difference in that area looks like a primary point of focus at Rangers this month.

Rangers interested in Joe Gelhardt

According to an update from The Daily Mail, Rangers are keen on signing Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United, but they aren't the only Scottish club showing an interest.

"Leeds striker Joe Gelhardt, meanwhile, has been attracting interest from Celtic and Rangers."

Gelhardt is exactly what Rangers should be looking for in the January window, with the young striker someone who has been highly-rated for some time now. Granted, the 21-year-old has struggled for regular playing time at Leeds so far this season, making only six appearances in the Championship, but Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has lauded him in the past, saying:

"He’s like a human wrecking ball. I like him; he’s really exciting. He’s fast; he’s aggressive; he gets on the ball, he takes people on. Once he gets into the box, he loves it; that’s where he can do most of his damage."

Although at his best as an out and out striker, the Leeds youngster is more of a playmaker up front than a prolific number nine, producing some stunning assists during his time in Yorkshire and being praised as a creative focal point by coaches at the club.

Indeed, Gelhardt has already registered 10 goal involvements (three goals and seven assists) in 49 appearances for Leeds, while at Under-21 level for the Whites, he netted an incredible 20 times in just 31 matches, adding another six assists to his name.

England Under-20s

1

2

England Under-18s

6

3

England Under-17s

13

6

England Under-16s

5

2

England Under-15s

4

2

The Englishman could feel that January is a good time to enjoy a fresh challenge, given his lack of minutes at Elland Road, and he has the trickery and eye for goal to make a real impact at Rangers.

The threat of Celtic signing Gelhardt instead should act as a warning, too, and where he ends up could ultimately have a big say on where the Scottish Premiership trophy ends up come the end of the season.

Smith struck an unbeaten 89 in the second match against a New Zealand XI as he continues to prepare for his international return at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2019Australia coach Justin Langer said he “slept a lot better” after Steven Smith showed some of his best form since returning from elbow surgery with the unbeaten 89 in the second match against the New Zealand XI on Wednesday.Smith dominated the back-end of the Australian innings, collecting 39 off his last 17 deliveries with increasingly dominant strokeplay including four sixes, three of them lofted drives and the other a pull, as he continued his recovery from the operation he had in January.Smith found form during the latter part of his IPL stint with Rajasthan Royals, hitting three half-centuries in five innings, before making 22 in the opening match in Brisbane batting at No. 4 before his eye-catching display at No. 5.”I certainly slept a lot better, it warmed my heart to be honest,” Langer told . “I watched him on the weekend, he had a nets session on Sunday night and I was sitting with a couple of coaches and I just said ‘How good is this kid’. We’ve seen the statistics and we know the stories but when you see him first hand…[The 89] was a tutorial in batting. It’s great for the team.”There remain a few question marks over Smith’s ability to throw at full tilt due to his elbow, but a diving catch he took in the first match suggested progress is being made. He has also impressed the management with his general fitness levels since returning to national colours for the first time since his ban.There were fewer form-related questions surrounding David Warner heading into the pre-tournament camp following is prolific IPL with the main debate surrounding the position he will bat. He was at No. 3 in the first match before opening with Aaron Finch in the second and Usman Khawaja in the third as all the combinations were tried.Langer said the “obvious” choice was that Warner would open but did not go as far as to confirm that would happen following the success of the Finch-Khawaja pairing in Australia’s run of eight consecutive wins against India and Pakistan.”The obvious thing is we should [open with Warner],” Langer said. “But I think he’s quite an adaptable player, too. What I’ve loved is the partnership between Finchy and Usman Khawaja as well. They gel really well and in the past Finch and Warner gelled really well. I’m not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes, but we’ve got really good options there.”The other question that still needs to be decided around the batting line-up is which player misses out presuming that Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis will take the five and six positions. It could be that Shaun Marsh, who scored four centuries in eight innings against England, South Africa and India does not find a spot in the side.

Vincent Kompany could be heading to the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich consider him a possible successor to Thomas Tuchel.

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Bayern eyeing move for KompanyBurnley relegated from the Premier LeagueBundesliga giants still searching for Tuchel's replacementWHAT HAPPENED?

According to journalists and , Bayern Munich have internally discussed the possibility of appointing Vincent Kompany as their next manager despite Burnley being relegated to the Championship after spending just one season back in the top flight. Kompany reportedly fits the profile that the Bavarian club are looking for as their long search for Tuchel's successor continues.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Romano further claimed that several other clubs in the Premier League as well as across Europe have set their eyes on the ex-Manchester City captain. Brighton could be a possible option as the Seagulls are currently without a manager after the departure of Roberto De Zerbi.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bayern, who finished third in the Bundesliga this season, are yet to finalise a new manager. The club have already faced rejections from Xabi Alonso, Julien Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick and have also been linked with managers including Roger Schmidt, Hansi Flick, Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR VINCENT KOMPANY?

The 38-year-old Belgian coach will enjoy a much-needed break after a gruelling season in the Premier League where his team managed to secure just five wins and collected 24 points.

Aston Villa have made some exciting signings under Unai Emery and reporter Dean Jones has had his say on a known target who he believes could be a "sensational" addition in the West Midlands.

Aston Villa's high-profile transfer strategy…

Last summer, the Villans made an impact in the market by recruiting high-profile players ahead of the 2023/24 campaign commencing, with Youri Tielemans, Nicolo Zaniolo, Clement Lenglet, Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres arriving at Villa Park.

On the face of it, their transfer strategy has worked and Emery's men are nicely positioned for a tilt at finishing in the top four at the bare minimum. However, they could go one step further and challenge for the Premier League title, form permitting.

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Despite a quiet first half of the window for the Villans, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Crvena Zvezda full-back Kosta Nedeljkovic is close to joining the club and will subsequently return to his current employers on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

Galatasaray winger Wilfried Zaha has been linked with a shock move back to England this month and Aston Villa have reportedly made contact over a swoop for the Ivory Coast international in a potential signing that would produce more fanfare than Nedeljkovic due to his age and experience.

Now, journalist Jones has signalled his belief that an alternative target linked with the Villans would be a "sensational" piece of business by Emery, as per reports.

Dean Jones drops verdict on Aston Villa target Paulo Dybala

In the last few weeks, Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Roma attacker Paulo Dybala, according to reports in Italy via Birmingham Live. The report states that the Argentina international has a release clause worth around €13 million (£11.2m), though it does expire today and contact is believed to have been made between both parties.

Similar players to Paulo Dybala (FBRef)

Player

Club

James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur

Cole Palmer

Chelsea

Oihan Sancet

Athletic Club

Chris Fuhrich

Stuttgart

Phil Foden

Manchester City

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Jones thinks that he would be an astute piece of business as the Villans continue on their upward trajectory, as he told the outlet:

"A deal for Dybala really would be sensational and obviously there will always be part of any Villa fan that would like that to happen but Emery and the recruitment team have to be very careful that if they are to pursue something like that it is for the right reasons and he fits with the philosophy and character of the side.

"He’s an unbelievable player but you would need something like that to be happening for the right reasons and his injury record definitely has to be considered. He misses so many games."

Labelled "unplayable" by Massimiliano Allegri, Dybala has contributed on the goal front for Roma this campaign, netting six times and laying on a further six assists (Dybala statistics – Transfermarkt).

Aston Villa have lofty ambitions and a fully fit and firing Dybala could help Emery's men move a little closer to realising their aspirations in 2023/24.