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Gregg Evans wasn’t impressed with Aston Villa’s defending during the first half of their Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday. 

The lowdown

With his team going in search of a first win since the trip to Everton on 22 January, Steven Gerrard selected Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne as his back four at the Amex Stadium.

Konsa was restored after missing the defeats against Newcastle United and Watford by virtue of a red card suspension, with Calum Chambers dropping to the substitutes’ bench.

Villa took the lead after 17 minutes through Matty Cash’s effort from outside the area, but BBC Sport journalists Alex Bysouth and Shamoon Hafez noted that it came ‘against the run of play’.

While Ollie Watkins secured the points with a second half strike, it was an incident shortly after the opening goal which drew the scorn of Evans.

The latest

The Athletic’s Villa correspondent took to Twitter after the ball fell for Alexis MacAllister 15 yards out and he hit the crossbar, almost drawing the home side level within a few minutes of falling behind.

Evans tweeted: “#BHAFC off the crossbar. MacAllister goes so close to equalising. #AVFC all over the place at the back again. Lucky.”

The verdict

It’s fair to say that MacAllister did let Villa off the hook. Indeed, the reporter behind Sky Sports’ live blog on the match wrote that the Brighton ace ‘should’ really have scored.

More generally, Gerrard seems to be harbouring doubts over whether his defence is up to scratch. According to Football Insider, the 41-year-old is ready to let go of Konsa, with the manager convinced that the centre-back is sufficiently consistent and reliable.

The same publication reported that Gerrard also has his eyes on a new centre-back in the form of Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, who is his number one target for the summer.

In other news, Villa have scouted this soon-to-be free agent

West Ham are keen on signing Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause this month.

That’s according to reliable Hammers source ExWHUemployee, with the rumours receiving plenty of attention from a number of Villa supporters on social media.

Steven Gerrard has already lost one centre-back this month after Axel Tuanzebe cut short his season-long loan to join Napoli. That has left Tyrone Mings, Hause and Ezri Konsa as their only senior options in that position, with the latter of the three going off injured against Manchester United on Saturday.

According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham are looking at a move for the 26-year-old, who fits the wage structure at the London Stadium.

Described as a player with pace by journalist Pat Rowe, Hause has made eight appearances this season, with talks over a move to West Ham at a ‘primary stage’.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared the links regarding Hause and West Ham on Twitter. Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with the majority against the move due to the shortage of centre-back options at Villa Park.

“Lol as if this would happen when we currently only him & Mings fit”

Credit: @Villaste1

“No chance until we’ve signed a couple of replacements, which is unlikely in this window”

Credit: @K_ribensis

“Not happening, Konsa injured, option to extend contract”

Credit: @DeadlyDoug

“£25m”

Credit: @JoshLocke23

“No, we need to buy another centre back let alone go down to just 2 senior options”

Credit: @ajbyrne_avfc

“I like Hause a lot so no thanks”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

In other news: Shares agent with Gerrard – Villa now after midfield ace ‘like’ Gascoigne.  

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has urged the ICC to introduce a Test Championship when its members meet for its annual general meeting in Singapore next week

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2010Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has urged the ICC to introduce a Test Championship when its members meet for its annual general meeting in Singapore next week.”I believe a Test championship is a matter of urgency to stimulate the five-day game,” Smith told by email from Bridgetown. “All our senior players support a formal Test championship,” he said. South Africa are currently ranked No 2, behind India, in the ICC’s Test rankings.South Africa are presently playing a three-Test series in the West Indies where the matches have attracted poor crowds. There have been concerns over dwindling crowds at Test venues around the world and Smith believed a championship would help addressing the issue. The concept of a Test championship had also received backing from Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain.”Such a championship would give context and value to every Test match and would stimulate interest in the five-day game worldwide,” Smith said. “It is important all Test matches should have equal value and that is what a championship would do. If you look at the [football] Premiership in England, for example, Manchester United picks up three points for a win, whether it is against [champions] Chelsea or one of the relegation strugglers.”Smith also stressed on the need for more bowler-friendly pitches in Test cricket to maintain a balance between bat and ball. West Indies and South Africa scored a total of 1324 runs for the loss of 19 wickets in the second Test St. Kitts and it was clear by the end of the third day that the match was heading for a draw.”It [the pitch at Warner Park] was not a good surface to play Test cricket on,” Smith said. “We’re all looking for a pitch that will result in a good contest between bat and ball. Hopefully the wicket in Barbados will lend the teams more assistance.”South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0 going into the final Test at Bridgetown, which begins on June 26.

Ricky Ponting took it upon himself to put Australia’s tour back on track, leading from the front with a 93-ball 92, and ensuring against the indignity of a whitewash at the hands of the old enemy

Andrew Miller at The Oval30-Jun-2010Ricky Ponting took it upon himself to put Australia’s tour back on track, leading from the front with a 93-ball 92, and ensuring against the indignity of a whitewash at the hands of the old enemy. But while that coveted 5-0 scoreline is now beyond England’s reach, Ponting stopped short of declaring that normal service had been resumed. With the series long gone, he was happy simply to inject some confidence into his squad – in particular a bowling attack that is someway short of a first-choice line-up, but is rapidly developing a style of its own.At Old Trafford it was Shaun Tait and Doug Bollinger who clawed their team right back into the contest by instigating a collapse of six for 18 in the closing overs of England’s run-chase. Today, it was the other 90mph man in their ranks, Ryan Harris, who stepped into the vacancy left by a host of senior men, including Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee. His third five-wicket haul in 16 ODI appearances first thwarted England’s bid for momentum then ushered them straight to the exit. The final margin – 78 runs – was arguably the most comprehensive beating meted out by either side in this series.”We’ve lost the series, but it’s nice to play well, and I’m proud of the boys for the way they played today,” said Ponting. “We’re not that far away, but you don’t need to be that far away to be shown up in international cricket, like we were in the first three games. What I said to the boys this morning was that we had to keep backing their instincts and talents, and soon enough our best cricket was going to come out.”I thought the way we controlled the game today was pretty good,” Ponting added. “To make 290 batting first was always going to be a hard total to chase, and Ryan and the boys did a great job with the ball. When you’re in a situation like we were today, 3-0 down, it says a lot to be able to bounce back, to pick yourself up and play a game like we did today. That’s what I’m most proud of from the group.”England were on the back foot throughout their run-chase – metaphorically and literally – thanks largely to the ferocity that Shaun Tait’s belated inclusion has brought to the line-up. He was not at his absolute best on this occasion, but he didn’t need to be, because his mere presence has helped to bring out the best in his colleagues, who set themselves to attack from the word go, rather than sit back and await their fate – as they did with particularly dire consequences at the Rose Bowl.”We had our noses in front in the entire bowling innings and to close the game out the way we did gives us great confidence going into the last game,” said Ponting. “Our attack for the last few years has been Johnson and Lee, so we’ve always had that firepower. If anything, we lacked zip in the first few games and we lacked the ability to get the batsmen off the front foot. Tait has been able to do that for us, because having that firepower to take wickets through those middle overs is vital in one-day cricket.”On this occasion, however, it was Harris who reaped the rewards of Australia’s renewed aggression, as he collected his third Man of the Match award in 15 ODIs this year. “That was probably my best performance,” he said. “I’ve been happy with the way I’ve been bowling, because I’ve been going out there with no fear and knowing I can get anyone out. I’m bowling quicker than I was three or four years ago, and I’m looking after myself and keeping my body strong.”Australia’s management know all about the challenges of keeping their fast bowlers fit, and Ponting admitted he longed for the day he could take his pick of every one of the seven or eight men who are challenging for selection in the run-in to the Ashes and the World Cup.”We’ve been tested a lot in the past 12-18 months, the amount of injuries to our quicks has been hard to deal with and cope with,” he said. “Even when you have four men on the tour, at some stage they’ll pick up niggles and you have to manage them. But put Lee, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle back into your group and suddenly your stocks look really good again.Having big Josh Hazlewood here has been good as well, he’s had some exposure, and Smithy [Steven Smith] has stood up well in the last few games. But I’m looking forward to having all those guys to pick from. It’ll be nice as captain not having to worry about injuries.”

Liverpool have been handed a major boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Merseyside giants will be looking to keep the pressure on league-leading Manchester City, who they defeated 3-2 in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, as they welcome their red arch-rivals to Anfield later today.

Jurgen Klopp appears to have a fully fit squad to choose from and now, he has been gifted an even bigger boost as Manchester United are set to be without as many as five first-team stars for this huge encounter.

As revealed by Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick in his pre-game press conference on Monday afternoon, the visitors will be without Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Fred.

“Rapha [Varane] didn’t train with the team. He was on the pitch with one of our rehab coaches. But with regard to injured players, we have the same situation that we had in the last two games,” he revealed.

Huge for Klopp

This is great news for Klopp and co as at least four of those five players would normally be part of Rangnick’s starting lineup, if fit.

Shaw and Varane are two key members of the German’s backline, particularly the latter, who is leagues apart from £80m flop Harry Maguire, whilst the English left-back has been in fine form in recent months.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

Meanwhile, both McTominay and Fred – dubbed ‘McFred’ by the Old Trafford faithful – have often been the main pairing at the base of the engine room for Rangnick, and his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Only four players have featured in more league minutes than the duo this campaign.

Cavani, however, has played a bit-part role following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has recently missed two of their last five matches in the English top-flight.

There’s no doubt that the Uruguayan can still cut the mustard at this level – having scored ten goals in only 13 league starts last term – and on his day, he poses a big threat and it also leaves the visiting cast of United without another frontline option.

With Liverpool needing to pick up further points to maintain their position in the title race, they will certainly feel buoyed by the prospect of facing a much weaker United team later this evening.

Klopp must be buzzing.

AND in other news, Forget Salah: Klopp must unleash £54m-rated Liverpool “monster” today, he can terrify Man Utd…

Former Worcestershire and Northamptonshire middle-order batsman Jim Yardley has died in Canada. He was 64.

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2010Former Worcestershire and Northamptonshire middle-order batsman Jim Yardley has died in Canada. He was 64.In 260 first-class matches spanning 16 seasons he scored 8287 runs at 25.81 with five hundreds, and also held 232 catches mainly at slip.”He was not a prepossessing player, but he had guts, immense application, and an infinite capacity for scoring runs to and through third man,” wrote John Arlott. “A good sense of humour and a dedication the game enabled him to enjoy it and play it more effectively than men superficially greater gifts.”Yardley made his county debut in 1967 and became a regular in the Worcestershire side midway through 1968 despite failing to pass fifty all season. He only showed glimpses of his form in 1969 although again held down a regular place, but he repaid the county’s faith in 1970 with 762 runs at 40.In 1971 he passed 1000 runs for the only time in his career as well as hitting this maiden hundred when he made an unbeaten 104 against the touring Indians. He was capped in 1972 despite a wretched summer, slightly alleviated by some good limited-over performances.He was a key member of Worcestershire’s Championship-winning team in 1974 but after another ordinary summer in 1975 he was released and moved to Northamptonshire.In seven seasons at Northamptonshire his form rarely rose above the ordinary – he managed only one hundred in 107 first-class matches – but he was again able to hold down a regular place. However, by 1982 he was out of favour and after a season in the 2nd XI he retired.Although his one-day form was also mediocre – his highest score in 205 innings was 75 – he played in four Lord’s finals, winning once, the 1980 Benson and Hedges Cup.He emigrated to Canada in 2002.

Tamim Iqbal reached a memorable hundred on the fourth day at Lord’s as the visitors closed on 326 for 5, a lead of 105

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill30-May-2010Close
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tamim Iqbal lit up Lord’s with a brilliant display of strokeplay during his hundred•Getty ImagesTamim Iqbal reached a memorable hundred on the fourth day at Lord’s, giving his team the spark of inspiration they needed after being asked to follow on as they battled impressively to 328 for 5, a lead of 105, while England were made to toil in the sunshine. Tamim was well-supported by Imrul Kayes, who reached a milestone of his own with his maiden Test half-century as the pair put on 185 – a record opening stand for Bangladesh – as the visitors recovered well after being bowled out for 282. Late wickets dented their hopes of securing a draw, but Bangladesh continue to show that they are no pushovers.Tamim’s hundred was the first by a Bangladesh batsman in England, and his will be the second Bangladeshi name etched onto the honours board at Lord’s after Shahadat Hossain made his mark with 5 for 98 in England’s first innings. Tamim suggested as much as he motioned enthusiastically to his team-mates to get his name on the board as soon as he reached three figures with a dismissive drive over mid on.He struck 15 fours and two sixes in reaching his century from just 94 balls – the fastest by a Bangladesh batsman in Tests, the fastest at Lord’s since Mohammad Azharuddin’s effort in 1990, and just the sixth Bangladesh Test hundred outside of subcontinental conditions – midway through the afternoon session, and though Steven Finn struck back to remove both openers in a testing spell just before tea, Bangladesh’s middle order picked up where they left off with some stubborn resistance.Whether they would do be able to do so was an open question when James Anderson and Tim Bresnan ensured that Bangladesh’s tail folded within the first hour of play. But England’s bowlers found things much harder thereafter, with Tamim and Kayes taking their opening stand to 61 before lunch.The openers did not have everything their own way, but luck was with them as good balls flew past the edge of the bat rather than off it and Kayes, usually content to sit back and let his partner do the bulk of the run scoring, on this occasion matched Tamim shot for shot early on to bring up the fifty in the tenth over.Tamim was as pugnacious as ever, and he greeted Graeme Swann’s first ball of the day by charging down the track as the offspinner’s opening over was dispatched for 10 runs. At the other end, Kayes moved into the 40s with a couple of streaky shots behind square after the lunch interval, but was totally muted as he approached his maiden fifty, sitting on 49 for 15 balls before he finally reached the mark with a cleanly-struck sweep to deep square leg.His nerves had no effect on Tamim, however, who, after being outscored by his opening partner early on, switched gears as he neared his hundred. Swann’s first over after lunch was dispatched for 17, including two massive slog-sweeps over midwicket, and Tamim reached his hundred in the 35th over of the innings with three fours in one over from Bresnan, the third a dismissive drive over mid on to raise three figures.Bresnan was replaced with Finn, but even with men positioned out on the hook Tamim continued to play his shots, and eventually paid the price as he failed to control a swivel-hook and picked out Jonathan Trott at deep backward square. Four overs later Finn was at it again, finding disconcerting bounce from a good length as Ian Bell held onto a sharp catch off the face of the bat at short leg.The double strike exposed Bangladesh’s vulnerable middle order, but Junaid Siddique and Jahurul Islam picked up the mantle with a 100-run partnership for the third wicket. Siddique, in particular, was given a thorough examination by England’s pace attack, and throughout his innings faced very little that bounced in his half of the wicket.Both batsmen were willing to take their scoring opportunities when they arose, though, and a loft down the ground by Jahurul to take the score past 200 opened the floodgates as the batsmen cashed in with a flurry of boundaries. England responded with a short-pitched assault that had both batsmen ducking and weaving, but as the ball got older and the bowlers began to tire, Strauss was forced to use Trott’s gentle dobbers.The change brought a dismissal against the run of play, however, as shortly after Siddique brought up his half-century Trott wobbled one in to Jahurul and the ball ricocheted off the inside edge onto the pad, looping up for Trott to take a sliding return catch and pick up his first international wicket.Mohammad Ashraful again promised much with a couple of confident shots before he was undone by a beauty from Anderson with the new ball late in the day. England also removed nightwatchman Shahadat in the penultimate over to bring captain Shakib al Hasan to the crease, but Bangladesh can remain immensely proud of their efforts. With Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah still to come it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they could leave Lord’s with honours even.

Leeds United have had a real struggle in the first half of their second season since returning to the Premier League, with a huge injury crisis which has seen Bielsa trying to cobble together a starting XI to keep them out of a relegation battle as best he can with the players available to him.

The last thing that Bielsa or the Whites need right now is to lose any players during the January transfer window, but sporting director Victor Orta could be heading for a transfer disasterclass if he lets one particular star slip through the Elland Road exit door over the next few weeks.

Raphinha has been heavily linked with moves away from the club for some times, with many clubs interested in securing the signature of the Brazilian forward, including Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The £36m-rated forward, who was hailed as a “magician” by team-mate Daniel James, has easily been Leeds’ best player so far this season, with eight goals and one assist in just 16 appearances.

The reliance on him is reflected in the fact that the second top goal contributor for the club this term is Patrick Bamford, with just two goals and three assists. He has sustained two injuries this season, with only six Premier League appearances out of a possible 18 so far in 2021/22.

According to data collected from SofaScore, Raphinha has been the highest-rated player for the Whites this season (7.04), taking more shots per game (three) than any other player in the squad.

There is a glimmer of hope for Leeds to keep the winger at Elland Road, as The Athletic reported this week that the club have opened new contract negotiations with the Brazil star to extend the terms that he currently holds until June 2024.

The report suggests that the 25-year-old has been receptive to Leeds’ advances on the potential of penning a new deal with the club, with his agent even attending the home defeat to Arsenal in December.

Orta will need to work hard to keep the Brazilian goal machine at the club to avoid the disastrous mistake of selling him, and a contract extension would be hugely beneficial towards preserving the club’s future in the Premier League given the consistent output that Raphinha offers, as evidenced in the aforementioned stats.

In other news: Marcelo Bielsa confirms injury boosts ahead of Burnley clash

Steven Finn believes that his first taste of defeat as an England Test cricketer will help to make him a better player in the long run

Andrew Miller at Lord's24-Aug-2010Steven Finn believes that his first taste of defeat as an England Test cricketer will help to make him a better player in the long run, as he prepares to return to his home ground at Lord’s for the series decider against Pakistan on Thursday. However, with the hype surrounding this winter’s Ashes being cranked up an extra notch, he refused to be drawn into a war of words with Australia’s opening batsman, Shane Watson, who earlier this week singled him out as the potential weak link in England’s attack.Finn, whose Test career coincided with the start of England’s run of six victories in a row against Bangladesh at Chittagong in March, admitted he was “gutted” to suffer his first loss in England colours, as Pakistan overcame some familiar jitters on the fourth day to win a thrilling contest by four wickets. He claimed just one wicket in 23 overs in the match, his least productive outing of the year, but insisted he would treat the experience as another step in his ongoing development at the top level.”I hate losing games of cricket,” said Finn. “Every game that I play in, whether it’s for my club side, Middlesex or England, every game you lose leads to a period of reflection. There were areas where I didn’t bowl as well as I could have done and that might have contributed towards us losing the game. That’s something I’m very aware of, and in the grand scheme of things you learn a lot from that having lost that Test.”Whereas Finn’s 6’7″ frame had enabled him to harvest wickets in his early outings of the summer -not least on his last trip to Lord’s in May when he claimed nine in the match against Bangladesh, including second-innings figures of 5 for 87 – Finn found the going rather harder on a true Oval surface last week, when he and his team-mates were thwarted by the experienced Mohammad Yousuf and the rapidly improving Azhar Ali, whose 69-run stand for the fifth wicket proved to be the decisive partnership of the game.”We’ve identified the areas where we could do better, and hope to do better in this next game,” Finn said. “At times felt I leaked too many four-balls, I’d bowl five decent balls then one four-ball, which was very frustrating and I didn’t mean to do. During that middle period, when Yousuf and Azhar Ali were going well, we could have done with me drying it up a little bit, but that’s cricket, you learn every time you step out on the pitch. It’s not a mindset thing or a technical thing. I’m just going to focus more on putting the ball in the right areas.”The phrase “right areas” is perhaps the most lampooned in international cricket, but as far as Finn is concerned, it is a mantra that he expects to serve him well as he concentrates on the line and length that his role model and coach at Middlesex, Angus Fraser, made his watchword during his own international career in the 1990s.”I think I’ve got what it takes to bowl under pressure,” he said. “I’ve got a repeatable action and I know I know what I’m doing with the ball and where to bowl it. Having the people around me that I have, Fraser and David Saker [England’s bowling coach], and people who’ve played a lot of international cricket, I have people to turn to in the tough times, because that is the nature of international cricket, people go through hard periods. But people come out the other side of tough periods as well, as Alastair Cook showed with his hundred this week.”After a relatively gentle introduction to Test cricket against two brittle batting line-ups in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the presence of Yousuf for last week’s third Test represented a significant step-up in class for Finn. However, he reiterated his belief that – with or without a player of such stature in the opposition ranks – the four-man attack that had swept all before it this summer was still good enough to secure a decisive victory at Lord’s this week.”Obviously Yousuf is a good player, you can’t take anything away from that, but we’ve bowled Pakistan out for 72 and 80 so far, so there’s a batting collapse waiting to happen,” he said. “They’ve had two innings where they’ve played well and put partnerships together, but at no stage have they got away from us. Their top score is just over 300, so we’re not at all disappointed by that. We feel as though we are doing the right thing as bowlers, and them having Mohammad Yousuf in the team doesn’t make them a different team at all.”Having sat out the one-dayers against Australia last month to undergo a strength and conditioning course, Finn feels he is a fitter and more effective bowler now than he was at the start of the summer, with his pace topping 90mph at times during the Oval Test. However, he will be running up against the Aussies soon enough, and though he remains modest about his prospect of making the cut for the Ashes, it’s already clear from Watson’s pre-emptive strike that they expect him both to make the tour, and to be a significant factor.Watson, who has been shortlisted as one of the ICC’s World Players of the Year after returning to the Australian team as an opener during last summer’s Ashes campaign in England, took it upon himself to fill the shoes of Glenn McGrath in targeting England’s players. “We can make the most of Finn’s inexperience,” he said. “We want to test his durability as a bowler. It will be so foreign for him – he doesn’t know what to expect in Australia.”Finn, however, refused to rise to the bait. “It’s up to me first to be put on that plane to go to the Ashes, and I have to bowl well to warrant my place,” he said. “There’s competition for places, and there are a lot of good fast bowlers in the English set-up. But as far as what Shane Watson has said, I’m not concerning myself at all about it. If people want to concern themselves with me, and waste their mental energy on me, that’s their business. But it doesn’t faze me whatsoever. All I do is turn around at the end of my mark and go through my processes, whether I’m playing for club or country.”

Aston Villa are happy to allow Morgan Sanson to leave this summer, with his former club Marseille keen on his services, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Sanson’s struggles at Villa

The 27-year-old has struggled since moving to the Midlands from France in January 2021, making just 20 appearances in a Villa shirt.

He is yet to register a goal or assist for Villa and has made just three league starts in 2021/22 under both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.

Football writer Matt Maher said earlier in the season that ‘Sanson was a big reason’ that Villa did not sign a central midfielder in the summer, which is ‘central to a lot of the problems’.

Gerrard appears to be on the hunt for midfield reinforcements ahead of his first full season in charge after recently scouting Boubacar Kamara and Geoffrey Kondogbia, and it looks as if Sanson could move on.

The Latest: Source shares Sanson update

Football Insider shared a story on Tuesday morning regarding Sanson after being informed by a French source. They claimed that Marseille are keeping tabs on their former midfielder and are interested in a possible move for him.

Villa are willing to sell and would accept an offer in the region of £10m for the 27-year-old after forking out £14m less than 18 months ago.

The Verdict: Right call?

Things just haven’t worked out for Sanson in England, so a return to Ligue 1 – where he has contributed to 68 goals in 220 appearances – could be the best move for all involved.

The 27-year-old has failed to nail down a regular role under Gerrard since November, even with the Villa manager switching to a 4-3-1-2 system.

He will still have three years remaining on his Villa deal in the summer, so you’d like to think that the club will be able to bring in at least £10m for him over the coming months.

In other news: Gerrard and Villa chiefs eyeing move for new defender with same agent as four AVFC players