Sarina Wiegman’s side must win by at least two goals on Friday at Wembley after a shock loss to Belgium in October

England might be the reigning European champions and they might’ve reached this year’s Women’s World Cup final – but on Friday at Wembley, the Lionesses must beat the Netherlands to save their Women’s Nations League campaign and stand any chance of securing Great Britain a place at the Olympic women’s football tournament in France next summer.

After two years of incredible success under Sarina Wiegman, things have been tricky for England in recent months. This team has only lost four of the 43 matches for which the Dutchwoman has been in charge, but three of those have come in the Lionesses’ last five outings.

Having lost the World Cup final to Spain in Sydney, Wiegman's side succumbed to Renate Jansen's late winner in the Netherlands in September and in October, four days after beating Belgium 1-0 in Leicester, they were defeated 3-2 by the Red Flames in the return fixture. It was a shock, especially considering they beat the same opponent 6-1 earlier this year.

But it wasn’t a surprise to see England struggling for rhythm and for a really convincing performance, as those have been lacking in recent times. Even at the World Cup, despite the Lionesses reaching the final, there were concerns and signs of weakness, the cracks perhaps papered over by the team continuing to get the job done and progress to the next round.

As the final international break of 2023 begins, England know that they need to beat the Netherlands by at least two goals in order to keep their chances of making the Nations League finals alive. That is key in order for the Lionesses to try and secure a spot at the Olympics next summer for Team GB’s women’s football team.

What, then, has gone wrong to leave the reigning European champions and World Cup finalists in a situation like this?

GettyStubborn team selection

Wiegman is one of the best coaches in the women’s game. There’s a reason why she has reached four successive major tournament finals, winning the Euros and reaching the World Cup final with the Netherlands before repeating both feats with England. But that doesn’t mean she is immune to criticism.

One of the big points of frustration from England fans has been just how stubborn Wiegman is with her team selection. While it's not uncommon to see young players or those in great form earn themselves a call-up, game time is a little harder to come by.

Of course, to some extent, that is how it should be. To play for your country is a huge honour and part of that is because it's not easy to achieve. You've got to really earn it. But some would argue that there are players that have merited more opportunities than they’ve been given by Wiegman.

Maya Le Tissier, for example, was the outstanding centre-back in the Women’s Super League last season and she has largely carried that form into this new campaign, too. Yet, the Manchester United star still has just two caps to her name.

This week, England will be without Millie Bright in the heart of defence due to injury. Le Tissier might be an obvious replacement for the Chelsea stalwart – and stand-in Lionesses skipper, with Leah Williamson still sidelined – but she lacks the experience of an occasion like Friday’s high-pressured fixture. That is because she hasn’t been granted many chances to play in them by Wiegman.

Le Tissier isn’t alone in this respect. Lotte Wubben-Moy, another contender to take Bright’s place, has long been in England squads, but only has 10 caps to her name, as even when England have played friendlies or games against lower-ranked opposition, Wiegman doesn’t often make many changes.

The absence of a natural back-up – and heir – to Lucy Bronze at right-back, a lack of depth in the midfield areas and inexperience at international level among the goalkeepers behind Mary Earps in the pecking order are other issues that this stubbornness has undoubtedly contributed to, as well as the fact that the team feels like it needs a little bit of refreshing to get the Lionesses out of this rut.

AdvertisementGettyLack of impact subs

Something else that Wiegman’s lack of changes has resulted in is the fact that England don’t really have any impact substitutes that they can call upon right now. When the Lionesses won the Euros back in 2022, the super-subs were the story, with Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly making incredibly key contributions to help the team become champions on the continent.

Indeed, at that tournament, players from the bench registered seven goals and two assists across just six games, with Toone’s opener in the final and Kelly’s winner in extra-time certainly the most notable, while Russo’s backheeled finish in the semi-final against Sweden will never be forgotten.

However, since the Euros, those contributions have dried up. In England’s 17 games this calendar year, just one goal and three assists have come from the bench. Part of that is because that aforementioned trio, for several different reasons, have become fixtures in Wiegman’s starting XI. But the Lionesses don’t lack depth of talent. There is no shortage of contenders to take their places as the impact subs.

Players like Jess Park, Katie Robinson and Beth England have shown the potential to grow into such roles, but haven’t exactly been given ample opportunity to do so when it really matters. There’s also a question of whether Wiegman has got the combinations right when it comes to those substitutions, either in the players coming on, the players coming off or the partnerships that are on the pitch when changes are made.

Whichever way you look at it, the impact from the bench just has not been the same and it leaves the coach’s ability to change a game with her substitutes certainly nowhere near as effective as it was in the summer of 2022.

Getty ImagesChanges of shape

One thing Wiegman has been happy to change, however, has been England’s formation. The Dutchwoman has long deployed her team in a 4-3-3 set-up but, in order to deal with a couple of weaknesses, opted for a 3-5-2 system midway through the World Cup, and it was one that worked a treat, so much so that the Lionesses nearly went and won the whole thing.

One of the big questions in England’s first games after that tournament, then, was whether or not they would stick with it. They did at first, beating Scotland 2-1, but it meant Kelly was rather ineffective after being shoehorned in at left wing-back. A few days later, Wiegman went up against her home country, the Netherlands, a side that is well-versed in the 3-5-2 system. They have been so impressive in it under Andries Jonker, in fact, that they troubled England’s own version to the point that Wiegman changed back to 4-3-3 at half-time.

That is the system the Lionesses lined up in for the two games against Belgium in October, too, but those matches were a reminder of why the formation was changed in the first place as old problems, masked by the new shape, came back to light.

It’s clear that the system England line-up in is not the main issue at this point as there are problems in whichever of the two Wiegman opts for, but changing between them isn’t helping either.

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GettyIndividual errors

England’s poor form is not all on Wiegman, though – not at all. There are individual errors that a coach cannot account for and, unfortunately for the European champions, there have been plenty of those during this Nations League campaign.

Portugal, Scotland, Wales and Switzerland, all teams below England in the FIFA world rankings, are the only sides to have conceded more than them in League A in this competition, with the six they’ve let in so far being disappointing in their own way.

To start, the tracking for Scotland’s goal in the 2-1 win in September was poor and the Lionesses were lucky that the momentum their opponents gained from getting back into the game didn’t result in the spoils being shared.

A few days later, the Netherlands' two goals in Utrecht came as a result of some error-strewn passing out from the back and the three conceded in Belgium in October were all equally tough to watch. The first came from a needless free-kick that England conceded on the edge of their own box, the resulting strike misjudged by Earps after only half of her wall jumped to block it.A loose pass gave Belgium the chance to break away and score their second and the third summed up the spell the Lionesses are in right now.

With less than 10 minutes to go, after England had failed to take several chances at the other end, Belgium surged forward and an attempted shot was blocked by the hand of Georgia Stanway, who knew the outcome as soon as it hit her. Up stepped Tessa Wullaert to beat Earps from the spot and give Belgium a famous 3-2 win.

PSV Eindhoven boss Peter Bosz said USMNT star Malik Tillman put in a near "scarily good" display in their 1-1 Champions League draw against Arsenal.

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• PSV Eindhoven draw 1-1 with Arsenal
• Both teams into UCL knockout stages
• USMNT ace Tillman praised for display

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  A much-changed Arsenal side were held to a 1-1 draw with PSV on Tuesday night as Yorbe Vertessen cancelled out Eddie Nketiah's opener. The Dutch side held their own against Mikel Arteta's men and Bayern Munich loanee Tillman was one such player who particularly impressed on the night. After the match, manager Bosz heaped praise on the attacking midfielder.

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• Getty Images
  

  WHAT PETER BOSZ SAID

  "I almost found Tillman scary, so good," said Bosz during his post-match press conference. "I really enjoyed that sitting on the bench. I really enjoyed playing that. That's just beautiful to watch."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tillman, 21, is seen as one of the next big hopes for the United States. He impressed last season on loan to Rangers and now he is shining in the Dutch top-flight – after proving to be too good for the club's reserve side. He is yet to make his breakthrough for parent club Bayern but performances like this are likely to help towards that ultimate goal.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BOTH TEAMS?

  Eredivisie's runaway leaders PSV travel to AZ Alkmaar on Sunday whereas Arsenal host Brighton in the Premier League on the same day.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly preparing for the potential exit of free-scoring talisman, Harry Kane, with the Lilywhites believed to be showing an interest in Lille striker, Jonathan David.

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?

With Kane now into the final year of his contract, the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to be eyeing up a possible summer move, with it yet to be seen if the Englishman will be leading the line for Ange Postecoglou's side next term.

As a result, French outlet L'Equipe (via Sport Witness), are reporting that the north London outfit are eyeing a possible successor to the 29-year-old in the form of David, with the Premier League side said to be 'observing' the Canadian international.

If Spurs are to strike a deal for the former Gent starlet, the belief is that the Ligue 1 side have slapped a €60m (£51m) asking price on the 23-year-old, with the likes of Newcastle United, Chelsea and PSG all showing an interest at present.

How good is Jonathan David?

Lauded as a "phenom" by journalist Tony Marinaro, the Brooklyn-born marksman has undoubtedly sparked some real excitement due to his displays in France of late, having netted 58 goals in just 136 games for his current side.

The 5 foot 9 ace – who also boasts 25 goals in just 42 outings for his country at senior level – had also previously sparkled during his time in Belgium after bagging 37 goals in only 83 appearances in all competitions, proving that he can offer a clinical presence in attack.

That being said, however, transfer insider Dean Jones recently suggested that top-flight rivals Manchester United had been left rather unimpressed after watching David in action, having not been "wowed" by the in-demand hitman.

That may be a cause for concern for Postecoglou and co, as should the fact that the Lille man is also said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with former Chelsea flop, Timo Werner, according to FBref.

That likeness is notably seen by the pair's inability to offer a real physical focal point in attack, with the RB Leipzig asset ranking in just the bottom 2% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won, while his Canadian counterpart ranks in just the bottom 4% in that regard.

The two men are also alike due to their desire to run in behind at any given opportunity, rather than dropping deep to link play, with David ranking in the top 10% for progressive passes received, while Werner is only just ahead as he ranks in the top 5% in that regard.

In the case of the latter man, that desire to rely on his speed and ability to stretch a defence ultimately failed to prove fruitful during his time at Stamford Bridge, with the German hotshot scoring just ten goals in 56 Premier League games after signing from Leipzig on a £45m deal in 2020.

Despite being a player who can "devastate with his pace" – according to talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino – Werner was unable to match his prior goalscoring exploits in the Bundesliga, having scored 28 league goals during the 2019/20 campaign, prior to moving west London.

Much like the "erratic" 27-year-old – as described by pundit Gabby Agbonlahor – David has also blossomed outside of England thus far, although his reliance on utilising his speed may not pay off in the Premier League, having been noted for his "directness" by ex-Arsenal man, Thierry Henry (CBS Sports, 22/02/2022, 19:45) – who also suggested not to "ask him to come to play or assist", as that doesn't appear to be his game.

For the £51m fee that has been suggested, Spurs may wish to acquire a more proven, all-round option to lead the line next term, with it yet to be seen if David could truly be a worthy successor to Kane at N17.

Manchester United could be set to launch a bid for a new striker, with Sportsmediasetl via Sport Witness, reporting that the Red Devils have an offer lined up for Dusan Vlahovic as an alternative to Rasmus Hojlund, who is also strongly linked.

How many goals has Dusan Vlahovic scored for Juventus?

The 23-year-old has only been with current club Juventus for two seasons, but has already made quite the impression for the Serie A outfit. His goal tally has gradually increased and improved, with the Serbian managing to hit a double-digit tally over the course of the 2022/23 league campaign. In total, he featured on 27 occasions for the Turin side but managed ten goals and two assists – meaning that he ended the season with a rate of 0.56 goal contributions per 90.

Prior to the move to Juve, he was even better for Fiorentina. Vlahovic plundered 17 Serie A strikes in his last campaign with the club and managed to break the 20-goal barrier for La Viola in 2020/21. It means that his career total currently stands at 62 league goals in just 104 starts – and with the 23-year-old still only early on his career, there is room for plenty more where that came from.

Are Manchester United signing Dusan Vlahovic?

With Juventus now missing out on European football after a seventh-placed Serie A finish, there is interest in luring the Serbian away from the club this transfer window. Chelsea have been one of the sides most keen to do business, with a recent report suggesting that the striker himself may fancy a switch to Stamford Bridge.

They aren't the only Premier League side keeping tabs on the situation though, with Man United also eager to try and wrap up a deal for the attacker if they can this window, presumably as a different option to Hojlund – it's hard to envisage both joining.

Now, according to a report from Sportsmediaset, via Sport Witness, the Red Devils are indeed pushing on with trying to sign Vlahovic this summer. Their report claims that the top flight side have a bid ready to go for the forward, adding that it is an offer that could cost them a whopping 65 million Euros (or £55.7m).

Erik Ten Hag's outfit though are not the only club prepared to splash the cash to land him, with Tottenham and Chelsea also ready to make the same offer to try and land the Serbian on a deal this window. It means it could be a three-way choice for the player, though none of the three are close to Juve's price tag yet.

The level of interest in his services showcases how superb Vlahovic has been since his switch to Juventus. The striker has really stood out with his goalscoring antics, and former professionals and managers alike have complimented the forward for his abilities to date.

Alessio Tacchinardi for example, who is a current coach and formerly featured for Juventus, has stated that Vlahovic is an "extraordinary" player and he can "tremendously increase" the goalscoring ability of a team. The attacker is a real threat upfront then – and if United were able to sign him, then it would help solve their current forward line dilemma ahead of next season.

India captain Mithali Raj has expressed concerns about the lack of opening stands from her batsmen, after they went down against South Africa by 115 runs on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-20172:12

There’s always pressure chasing 270 – Mithali Raj

A lack of strong opening partnerships for India in the Women’s World Cup has become a worrying sign for the team. Captain Mithali Raj said after their 115-run loss in Leicester on Saturday that a strong start is something the team had been looking forward to, especially while chasing 274 against South Africa, as it makes the task easier for the rest of the batting line-up.”Yes, it’s been happening since the West Indies game that the openers have not given us the start that we expect,” Raj said after the match. “The way they (the openers) opened the World Cup campaign for us against England, we were expecting maybe one or two off games but it can’t be four in a row. So that is a worrying factor because whether you bat first or chase, it’s important your top order gives you those runs on the board. I feel that when you are chasing 270 there’s always going to be pressure but you need the opening pair to give us a start so that the batters can take from thereon. Unfortunately, today we didn’t get that.”India’s openers Punam Raut and Smriti Mandhana scored 22 and 4 respectively as their partnership was broken in the second over of the chase when Marizanne Kapp had Mandhana caught at deep square leg. Since their dominating partnership of 144 in the first match against England, India’s openers have produced stands of 0 against West Indies, 7 against Pakistan and 21 against Sri Lanka.India’s task of chasing became tougher when South Africa racked up a challenging total of 273 on the back of a blistering 65-ball 92 from opener Lizelle Lee and a steady 57 from captain Dane van Niekerk. India’s decision to bowl was questioned as Lee started hammering sixes – seven in all – against spinners Ekta Bisht and Deepti Sharma who had troubled oppositions in the last few matches. Leicester, incidentally, is the same ground where England had amassed 377 and Australia had scored a stiff 290, both batting first against Pakistan. However, it is also where South Africa had bundled West Indies for only 48.”We did ask few people here at the ground and they told us that the team that bats second has more percentage wins,” Raj explained after the match. “And our matches with South Africa in the Qualifiers as well as in the Quadrangular Series, we probably have come close to 260, we lost one game though with 10 runs, that also was around 270 target. Considering these aspects, we chose to field first.”I’ve seen the way they have batted and even though they lost a wicket in the early overs, Lee has played exceptionally well for that innings and that is what put them on the track. We did realise that her wicket was important, but I give full credit to her batting because her shots were very clean and she did play one of the best innings I have seen so far in the World Cup against us. The bowlers have done a decent job of holding them in the middle overs, we managed to pull ourselves back into the game and maybe a few shots later in the innings got them to 270.”Dane van Niekerk on Lizelle Lee: “The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us”•ICCVan Niekerk, who was named Player of the Match for her half-century and 4 for 22, dedicated her award to team-mate Lee while showering praises on her.”First of all, this goes to Lizelle Lee,” van Niekerk said. “I think she deserves it a lot more than I do. We said if we get more such trophies in the changing room, we have more better days than bad days. I think Lizelle Lee setup the game brilliantly well and I think she deserved a big hundred today. She’s been brilliant, she strikes the ball as clean as anyone in the world and she showed it today. She stuck to her guns and she found her groove and her rhythm and that’s the way she wants to bat and we back that all the way, it came off today. The shots she played was ridiculous and hopefully that form can continue for us.”Lee’s knock had powered South Africa past 125 in 20 overs before they stuttered a bit around the 150-mark. Van Niekerk’s fifty came in handy when she arrived at 160 for 4 in the 28th over and chaperoned the lower order to help them score 70 runs in the last 10 overs.”Yeah, personally [one of my better performances] I guess, especially against a team like India and the form they are in,” she said of her performance. “Coming into this game I thought they were the team to beat, and Australia, so it’s always great to contribute. I just thought of taking it deep, I know my game well enough to say that I can take it away at the back end, struggled a bit, but I stuck to my plans and today it came off.”While I was in there, we hit a bit of a slump and I said, ‘If we can get 250-plus, we have something to bowl at’. We know how good their batting is but if we stick to our lines and lengths…I spent a bit of time there so I kind of got a feel of where the good lines and lengths were and I said to the bowlers, ‘If we hit that consistently well, and we put them under pressure, hopefully it will go our way’.”The only criticism van Niekerk had for her team was for the bowlers, who dismissed India for 158 in 46 overs. She admitted she was being “harsh” on the bowlers, but only because they had taken seven Indian wickets within the first 20 overs, to set up a big win.”I will probably be a bit harsh on my bowlers but I thought we had to get them out a bit earlier, especially having them seven down for 65,” she said. “At the end of the day you don’t want it to go that long but the wicket died down so you can only do so much on a wicket like that.”We said we wanted all three facets of the game firing and we did that today, it wasn’t as clinical as I hoped it would be, but a win is a win. We came here for two points and we got it. Everyone chipped in and it was a brilliant team performance.”India, placed second with eight points, will face Australia and New Zealand in the remaining matches while South Africa, placed fourth with seven points, will take on Sri Lanka and Australia.

2:58

Maharoof: Once Virat hit top gear, he never let it go

Three-nil in the Tests, five-nil in the ODIs, a crushing seven-wicket win in the one-off T20I. Virat Kohli followed up successive hundreds in the last two ODIs with another display of ruthless efficiency in a chase, and ensured India left Sri Lanka no crumbs of comfort at the end of a long and chastening month and a half of one-sided contests.Set 171 to win, India romped home with four balls remaining and Manish Pandey making his third important contribution in a row, following up 50* and 36 in the last two ODIs with his maiden T20I fifty.Kohli, the only batsman with 1000 T20I runs and a 50-plus average, ended his tour with 82 off 54 balls, an innings that oozed arrogance. It was present in the shots he played – an umpire-endangering blast down the ground and a bottom-handed whip through midwicket, both off Lasith Malinga, standing out among his seven fours and a six – but especially in the way he admonished himself, bat slapping pad in annoyance, for little moments of imprecision: for putting too much weight on a clip down the ground and ending up with a single rather than two, for placing a front-foot slap a few inches closer to the extra-cover fielder than he would have liked and ending up with a single rather than four. It was as if the opposition did not matter.Virat Kohli went to No. 3 on the list of top scorers in T20Is•NurPhoto/Getty Images

Until he miscued a leg-side whip and holed out with India just 10 away from their target, it was easy to miss the assured hand played by Pandey in a 119-run partnership for the third wicket. He came in with India not entirely secure; they had lost both openers by the end of the sixth over, and Kohli not yet fully settled, having just been beaten twice in a row by Malinga’s seam and Isuru Udana’s left-arm angle. But Pandey promptly calmed any nerves in the dressing room, turning the strike over with dabs and pushes either side of point, and switching gears with a straight six and a fierce, airborne cut in the 12th over, off Angelo Mathews.With Kohli also blazing five fours and a six in that period, India sped from 47 for 2 after seven overs to 118 for 2 after 13. Four of those six overs were either Mathews’ medium-pace in conditions with no swing or seam or Seekkuge Prasanna’s quickish and not particularly ripping legspin, showing the lack of genuine wicket threat from Sri Lanka in the middle overs.The story was rather different when Sri Lanka batted. Sent in after a 40-minute rain delay, their batsmen, Dilshan Munaweera in particular, seemed liberated by the switch to the shortest format as they sped to 60 for 2 in their first six overs. They finished well too, scoring 52 for 1 in the last five, with Ashan Priyanjan turning around a slow start and Udana clubbing the quicks powerfully down the ground.They faltered in between, though, losing four wickets in those nine overs while scoring at under six-and-a-half per over.For India, the middle overs illuminated the value of playing two wristspinners. Kuldeep Yadav only conceded 11 in his three overs in that period, and bowled Munaweera with a quick skidder, the batsman sending his bat flying in the direction of square leg in a sweaty-gloved attempt at a pull.Yuzvendra Chahal gave away 13 in his one Powerplay over, Munaweera greeting him with successive sixes, over extra-cover and down the ground. He continued to go for runs in the middle overs, with Munaweera launching him for two more sixes in his third over and Thisara Perera pummeling him over long-on in his fourth. But he picked up three key middle-overs wickets: Mathews stumped while reaching out to a big legbreak and overbalancing; Perera bowled trying to cut one that cramped him for room; Dasun Shanaka lbw playing outside the line of a wrong’un.And so, despite conceding 43, Chahal probably bowled the crucial spell for India to keep Sri Lanka in check. Kohli and Pandey did the rest.

Conservative tactics and a batsman-friendly pitch meant that there was barely a soul in the ground by the time the two sides gave up on what had long become a tiresome affair

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2017

Glamorgan supporters would have been heartened by the performances of their young batsmen on the final day of their last home game of the season, but would also been disappointed not have witnessed a positive outcome to the game. Glamorgan, who led by 43 going into the last day, were never in a position to declare after Phil Mustard had opted to prolong the Gloucestershire first innings, instead of declaring some 100 runs adrift.Mustard said at the end of the third day that he had hoped to gain a lead on first innings, and then take some early wickets to put the opposition under pressure. This was unlikely to happen as Liam Norwell, his leading wicket taker this season, was unable to bowl, while the Cardiff pitch did nothing to encourage the bowlers throughout the game.A defeat for either team would not have made any significant difference to their respective positions in the Division Two, and although Mustard did bring himself and Chris Dent into the attack, and offer some easy runs, it was a token gesture with only 47 overs left in the day.Nick Selman and Andrew Salter batted throughout the morning session, and had put on 185 in 51 overs for the second wicket, before Salter’s career best score of 88 – his previous best was 84 in the first innings -, was caught at slip off Jack Taylor’s off spin.Selman went to score his fourth century of the season, before proceeding to his career best, and also share a rapid 89-run partnership with Kiran Carlson, who made 53, before he went lbw to Dent.As the light worsened and Mustard hinted he would recall the seamers, the umpires called an early tea.There were barely 50 spectators left in the ground when play resumed, and the ECB could consider a move in future that a game could end before the scheduled close on the final afternoon, if there is no chance- of a result.Glamorgan ended on 353 for 3, a lead of 396, with Selman undefeated on 142, and Chris Cooke 46.

Aston Villa have reportedly held talks over a move to sign Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson this summer.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

Unai Emery is set to be backed by NSWE ahead of his first full season in charge with a “huge” transfer budget, and the club have already spent €33m on Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

Midfielder Youri Tielemans has also put pen to paper on Villa Park terms this summer after his Leicester City contract expired, and it looks as if attention is now on a new attacker.

Villa have reportedly had an opening €45m offer for Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby turned down, with Joao Felix another player of interest. Contact has been made for the Atletico Madrid forward, however, Villa have competition from Manchester United and Newcastle United, so it looks as if they could turn their interest to Johnson.

The Daily Mail provided an Aston Villa transfer update on Thursday regarding Johnson, claiming talks have taken place over a move for the Wales international.

Forest have already rejected a £30m offer from Brentford for the forward but are thought to be willing to sell, should a bid in the region of £40m be submitted.

Johnson has serious admirers within Villa Park and is believed to be keen on a move to the Midlands after encouraging noises emerged from the player’s camp.

How good is Brennan Johnson?

Johnson shares the same agency as Jacob Ramsey and is just 22 years of age who can play as an attacking midfielder, winger or striker. He has progressed through the youth ranks at The City Ground and appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €38m Transfermarkt valuation.

In total, Johnson has made 105 senior appearances for Forest, scoring 29 times and registering 12 assists. He enjoyed a productive first season in the Premier League last year as well, helping the Reds to safety in the top flight with 11 goal contributions in 38 games. Steve Cooper lauded Johnson as a “fantastic player” and a “great finisher” back in February after netting the winner against Leeds.

“He’s a fantastic player, we know he’s got qualities and is a great finisher. The guys didn’t get loads of service at the top end of the pitch but, sometimes you just need one moment.”

As per FBref, Johnson has been compared to the likes of Michail Antonio, Odsonne Edouard and Danny Ings over the past 12 months and ranks in the top 12% of forwards for progressive carries, top 9% for crosses and top 1% for tackles in the defensive third, showing how he could bring more than just goals to Villa Park.

Should a £40m move go through, Emery could be getting a player who may only get better in time, while also providing the Spaniard with an alternative option or potential partner to Ollie Watkins. Johnson could turn out in a wide area, behind Watkins or as another centre-forward, and by the looks of things, a move will be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.

Chris Nash’s 118 at No. 5 and productive stands with Luke Wells and Chris Jordan lifted Sussex to a competitive score at New Road

Vithushan Ehantharajah at New Road06-Aug-20171:14

County Championship round-up: Yorkshire crumble against Essex

After all the fun of the fair that Twenty20 brings, Championship cricket returned, like the sensible soul at the house party who starts washing up at 4am, having rolled the last revellers into their cabs home. If there is one man who still had his wits about him after a month on the short-form sauce, it was Chris Nash who waited till the start of August to score his first Championship hundred of the season.Invariably, as the white ball makes way for the red, there is talk of “Twenty20 hangovers”: of batsmen and bowlers stuck in limited-overs mode, chastised for not being able to flick a switch from one format to the other, like the droids they are treated as. How else to explain the absurd run-in both sides have had to this fixture.Worcestershire arrived off the back of a professional Friday night win in Birmingham and a day-time shellacking at the hands of Northants on Saturday. Sussex were hosting Surrey on Thursday before a Friday night in Canterbury. Silly season doesn’t get much sillier.Yet, through all the hours on the road, as those at home turn slowly into strangers, Nash has been able to find form that has proved elusive for most of the summer. After a rest last Monday following defeat to Somerset, he struck 64 on Thursday, took Kent to the cleaners with 73 on Friday, arrived in Worcester on Saturday and compiled his 23rd first-class hundred on Sunday. While it does not bear much resemblance to Craig David’s “Seven Days” – Craig famously chilled on Sunday – there was a familiar rhythm and base to Nash’s innings that hinted at a longer return to fluid type.”I’ve seen more of you than I have of my wife,” said Nash as he was approached by the BBC Radio Sussex commentator, alluding to the frenetic schedule and his more-than-welcome purple patch. Prior to this 118, Nash was averaging 17.08 from 12 innings at the top of the order. Naturally, the knock came as a relief: “It’s a really nice feeling. I’ve worked really hard in four-day cricket and it just hasn’t happened this year. That’s how it goes sometimes.”It’s hard coming from T20 games where you’re basically playing every day. It’s nice to come in here and bat long as well, actually. It was nice to change the gears, get myself in and go big.”The crucial part of his 202-ball stay came in the morning when Nash was informed by Sussex captain Ben Brown that he would bat at five, having spent most of the season as opener. Former Leicestershire batsman Angus Robson, taken on by Sussex to play second-team cricket, was asked to open up on his first-team debut, after his registration was processed on Thursday (he made the XI in place of Luke Wright, out with a bad back).Chris Nash made his first century of the Championship season•Getty ImagesUnfortunately for Robson, he only lasted three balls – one of two ducks, along with Harry Finch, as Worcestershire reduced the visitors to 7 for 2 in the fourth over. Nash’s arrival, after Stiaan van Zyl fell to make it 49 for 3, was the beginning of a solid partnership of 97 between himself and Luke Wells.Perhaps the moment that turned the day was at 71 for 3, when Daryl Mitchell dropped Wells at second slip. The left-hander had just 32 to his name and went on to make 85 before offering Mitchell another chance which he duly clung on to, off the bowling of George Rhodes. Wells’ sombre exit spoke less of a tricky period negotiated and more of a hundred spurned. By then, Nash was at ease and determined to motor on for the good of his team and his future in the engine room.At lunch, when Nash was on 19, his captain made him a promise: “If you get 110, you can stay at five.” Who knows if Brown was bluffing, but it had the desired effect on the 34-year-old. The shots started to come out, notably that front-foot pull to midwicket and beyond which has been as much as a Hove staple as deckchairs and ice cream.Fittingly, it was a crisply struck pull for four off debutant Pat Brown – expensive on his maiden first-class outing – that took Nash to his hundred, from 175 balls. Relieved, he threw both hands in the air, before holding out five fingers to the packed balcony in front of the away dressing room, channeling the spirit of Nasser Hussain at Lord’s, albeit with a smile and fewer expletives. “When I got my hundred I knew I’d kinda done the hard bit and I had 10 more to get,” Nash said. He eventually finished on 118, lbw to a low-bouncing delivery from Joe Leach, with Sussex in greater shakes at 298 for 6.”After the month of Twenty20, I really needed it,” Nash said of an innings he hopes will be the start of a strong end to the red-ball summer and a spot in the batting line-up he has always craved. “I got in this morning and I was pretty knackered after the last couple of weeks and it gave me a little bit of breathing space and I really enjoyed it. I love batting in the middle order.”Chris Jordan built on Nash’s good work – together, they put on 118 – by moving to his 98-ball half-century with a picture-perfect extra cover-drive for his fifth boundary. He was unbeaten at the close, all set to continue Sussex’s push towards a score of 350 which they reckon will have them “in the game”. A game that already looks like it is slipping from Worcestershire’s grasp.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier is "desperate to prove himself" to Spurs' new manager Ange Postecoglou but having just a year left on his deal could be a problem, claims journalist Alasdair Gold.

Is Eric Dier leaving Tottenham Hotspur?

The Lilywhites have been doing some good business so far this summer.

Not only have they managed to keep hold of their superstar striker Harry Kane – for now – but they have also added strength and depth to the squad as a whole.

The big-name signing so far has undoubtedly been James Maddison, who joined the north London outfit for a relatively reasonable fee of £40m from relegated Leicester City, but the signings of Manor Solomon and Guglielmo Vicario also represent good business.

The one area the club are yet to improve upon – and one they really need to – is in central defence, where the personnel has remained the same, other than the absence of Clement Lenglet, who has been linked with a return.

According to The Telegraph, one of those defenders – who does not want to leave the club – is former England international Dier.

The 29-year-old is one of the players Daniel Levy would be willing to sell this summer, but despite having just a year remaining on his current deal, he wants to stay and fight for a place under Postecoglou, per Alasdair Gold.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"It's an interesting situation with Eric Dier, really. He's desperate to prove himself to Postecoglou as a fully fit player and he is excited about playing under Postecoglou. But then, the other side to it, of course, is that he's only got a year left on his contract.

"So it's whether they tie him down to a new contract, which I'm sure would not go down well with some Spurs fans."

Should Tottenham Hotspur sell Eric Dier?

With just a single year left on his deal and his desire to remain in north London, the Lilywhites have a decision to make. Should they stick by the player and see if he earns himself a new deal, or should they do what they can to force him out?

The first thing to say is that last season, as disastrous as the Tottenham team was – especially the backline – he wasn't any worse than his teammates. In fact, he was probably one of the better defenders in the side.

According to WhoScored, he averaged a rating of 6.66 across his 33 Premier League games last season, which on its own is a reasonably decent campaign, while it was the second-highest rating for a central defender in the squad, only behind Christian Romero.

Again, his underlying numbers are nothing spectacular but solid across the board and suggest that he would be a great squad player to keep around.

According to FBref, which compares players across Europe's top five leagues, the Cheltenham-born defender sits in the top 19% for attempted passes, the top 21% for total shots, the top 23% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 24% for aerials duels won, and the top 27% for progressive passes received per 90.

He was also a player that former boss Antonio Conte was a big fan of, with the Italian once saying:

"We are talking about a reliable player, 100 per cent focused in every game. He is not a player who alternates with a big performance then a drop. He is providing great continuity in his role and playing every game.

"I can also tell you he is a really good guy, with great will, desire to work and improve. He knows he has space for improvement and I see every day in his eyes the desire to become stronger, to become a top defender."

Dier probably isn't quite of the level to make it as a starting centre-back for a title-chasing team anymore, but that isn't what Spurs are at the moment, and keeping him around, at least as a squad player, seems like the best option.