Luton Town &#8211; CaughtOffside

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Carabao Cup R2 draw: Newcastle, West Ham, Everton and other Premier League clubs learn their fate

CJ — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 21:45:41 +0000

The draw for the second round of the Carabao Cup has been made, with the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United and Everton learning their fate.

After round one saw Championship, League One and League Two sides kick things off, we’ve reached the stage where the Premier League clubs not competing in European competition enter the tournament.

All-Premier League ties of Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle and West Ham vs Bournemouth are among the most eye-catching, while there are also some local derbies like Millwall vs Leyton Orient, Barnsley vs Sheffield United and Blackburn vs Blackpool.

Read on for the full Carabao Cup round two draw, with all ties to be played the week commencing August 26.

Carabao Cup draw

Northern section

Grimsby vs Sheffield Wednesday

Everton vs Doncaster

Blackburn vs Blackpool

Fleetwood vs Rotherham

Shrewsbury vs Bolton

Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle

Barrow vs Derby

Leicester vs Tranmere

Middlesbrough vs Stoke

Barnsley vs Sheffield United

Harrogate vs Preston

Walsall vs Huddersfield

Wolves vs Burnley

Southern section

Coventry vs Oxford United

Swansea vs Wycombe

AFC Wimbledon vs Ipswich

Birmingham vs Fulham

Watford vs Plymouth

West Ham vs Bournemouth

QPR vs Luton

Brighton vs Crawley

Crystal Palace vs Norwich

Cardiff vs Southampton

Millwall vs Leyton Orient

Colchester vs Brentford

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Exclusive: Arsenal midfielder agrees terms with new club, talks ongoing over clause issue

Mark Brus — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:44:56 +0000

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has reached a verbal agreement with Sevilla over a potential transfer this summer, with club to club talks ongoing, CaughtOffside understands.

Lokonga spent last season loan at Luton Town and impressed there, attracting plenty of interest from a number of clubs in England and Italy this summer, though things are now advancing with La Liga side Sevilla.

Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Lokonga has verbally agreed personal terms with Sevilla, with the Belgian likely to join on an initial loan as the two clubs discuss the terms of a clause for a permanent purchase.

It is understood that Arsenal would like a mandatory buy clause, while Sevilla’s preference is for a buy option, with discussions ongoing to try to reach an agreement.

Lokonga transfer: Arsenal to send midfielder out on loan again

Albert Sambi Lokonga during his time on loan at Luton

Some Arsenal fans may well be slightly disappointed to see Lokonga going out on loan as he showed real potential on loan at Luton last season – enough to surely be worth a role as a squad player in Mikel Arteta’s side next term.

Still, whether it’s because Arsenal don’t have a place for him, or because the player himself wants more guaranteed playing time, it seems he’s set to be on the move again.

CaughtOffside understands Lokonga also had interest from Premier League clubs Everton and Nottingham Forest, while Juventus and Lazio were also among his suitors.

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If a move to Sevilla goes through, it will be interesting to see how Lokonga performs, and if it perhaps turns into another opportunity for the 24-year-old to catch Arteta’s eye and do his best to return to fight for his place at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have been linked with potential midfield signings this summer that might limit Lokonga’s playing time even further.

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Unai Emery met with England midfielder to convince him to join the club

Mehdi Gokal — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 18:19:18 +0000

Ross Barkley is strongly linked with a move to Aston Villa this summer.

The 30-year-old midfielder has been in impressive form for Luton in the Premier League despite their relegation, and his performances have caught the attention of clubs like Aston Villa, Manchester United and Newcastle United as well.

But it is Villa who have shown the strongest intent to sign him. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported a few weeks ago that the Villa have reached a verbal agreement with Luton Town for Ross Barkley, with the fee close to around £5m.

The agreement on the player’s side was still something that was remaining. As per his recent update a few days ago, Villa are preparing to enter the formal talks with the player to agree personal terms with him.

Ross Barkley to Aston VIlla?

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It was recently reported by Football Insider that Emery personally met with Barkley to convince him to join the club. The Aston Villa manager had face to face talks with the player explaining him how he fits into his plans.

Villa have lost Douglas Luiz to Juventus this window and Jacob Ramsey is also linked with a move away, with Spurs reportedly making their first bid for him earlier today.

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Emery delighted as Aston Villa agree deal for first signing: He will be announced in July

Jake Staniland — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:48:29 +0000

Aston Villa, under the direction of manager Unai Emery and club chief Monchi, are focused on strengthening their squad by acquiring experienced players without overspending.

One of their prime targets this summer is Ross Barkley, who has been identified as an affordable yet high-quality addition to their midfield.

Barkley, who is 30 years old, made a notable impact in the Premier League with Luton Town last season. Despite Luton’s relegation, Barkley’s individual performance stood out. He scored five goals and provided four assists in 32 Premier League appearances, which sparked interest from several top-flight clubs, including Newcastle United and Everton.

His resurgence had even led to discussions throughout the season about a potential recall to the England national team.

Aston Villa’s Spanish head coach Unai Emery looks on ahead of kick-off in the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park in south London on May 19, 2024. (Photo by Ian Kington / AFP)

Aston Villa have agreed a deal for Luton star Ross Barkley

According to the latest updates from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Aston Villa have made significant progress in securing Barkley’s services. The club have verbally agreed on a transfer fee of approximately £5 million with Luton Town.

While the official confirmation of the move may be delayed until early July, a club-to-club agreement is already in place, suggesting that the transfer is likely to be completed soon after the British summer transfer window opens on June 14.

Aston Villa’s strategy of adding proven performers like Ross Barkley without breaking the bank aligns with Emery and Monchi’s vision of building a competitive team through smart and financially prudent signings as they shape their squad ready to tackle the challenge of the UEFA Champions League.

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Frustrating reason why Everton can’t sign former player destined for Aston Villa

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:25:42 +0000

It’s been a trying time of late for Everton Football Club.

Although there is the move to a new stadium to look forward to, the apparent mismanagement of the club has left a potential takeover by 777 Partners hanging by a thread.

Were any takeover to end up not being completed, it would almost certainly impact heavily on the club and its ability to move forward on and off the pitch.

The cost of the new stadium will remain a millstone around the necks of those at the club unless things can be put on an even keel.

Everton will lose out on Ross Barkley

Despite being deducted points for their financial problems last season, Sean Dyche performed something of a miracle by being able to keep the Toffees in the Premier League.

In order for the side to have a reasonable chance of not having to go through another season-long relegation scrap, it’s obvious the manager needs some reliable exponents in his squad.

Everton will miss out on the signing of Ross Barkley.

It’s believed that he wanted to secure a switch for Everton old boy, Ross Barkley, however, there’s a frustrating reason, according to Football Insider, why the likelihood is the attacking midfielder will sign for Unai Emery at Aston Villa instead.

Everton will need to sell players before they can bring any new faces in, and that will clearly leave Dyche with a huge predicament ahead of the new season.

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Improvements need to be made in various positions, but if there’s no money available to be able to do just that, and the movement of players out of Goodison Park isn’t flowing in as timely a fashion as the club would like, it represents a real problem for Dyche and his backroom team.

There’s only a finite amount of times that he can work miracles with what he has available, and relegation could soon become a reality for the club if nothing changes.

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“Take your hat off to Aston Villa” – Kyle Walker on “incredible” signing Emery will make

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 29 May 2024 11:44:07 +0000

Unai Emery has done a magnificent job at Aston Villa over the past 18 months, and the club have now been praised for their pursuit of a player that Man City captain, Kyle Walker, has branded “incredible.”

The Midlands-based outfit would likely have been disappointed that they were unable to replicate West Ham United and lift the Europa Conference League title aloft, however, their work across the 2023/24 Premier League season has meant qualification to the Champions League for the first time in four decades – back when it was known as the European Cup.

Kyle Walker praises Aston Villa for Barkley signing

With that in mind, it’s clear that the club need reinforcements for the work that lies ahead of them, and Walker, speaking on his You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast, paid tribute to the work that the club are already doing, that has seen some of their players get international recognition including for England ahead of the European Championship.

“Ross Barkley is incredible,” Walker said.

“I think you have to take your hat off to the likes of Aston Villa, Ez Konsa is playing for England now, Ollie Watkins is scoring goals for fun, you have Bailey, a great keeper who has gone and won the World Cup.

“You have Douglas Luiz, who I played with at City, so they have good players but I think it’s probably helped them that they have been under the radar so they can go out and play.”

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Exclusive: Arsenal midfielder could leave on loan or permanent transfer, says Fabrizio Romano

Mark Brus — Thu, 23 May 2024 07:20:15 +0000

Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga could be on the move this summer, either on loan or permanently, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.

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The Gunners sent Lokonga out on loan to Luton Town in the season just gone, and it seems unlikely that the Belgian will stay at the Emirates Stadium for the long term, even though his loan spell looked pretty impressive in the end.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Lokonga could leave temporarily again or even in a permanent deal, depending on what offers come in this summer.

The 24-year-old could surely be a tempting option for a number of clubs in England and Europe, even if he doesn’t quite look like he has it in him to challenge for a place in Mikel Arteta’s side.

Albert Sambi Lokonga is likely to leave Arsenal

On top of that, it will be difficult for Lokonga as Romano expects Arsenal to sign more midfielders to mean there’ll be even more competition in that area of the AFC squad next season.

Lokonga transfer update from Fabrizio Romano’s latest column

“We’ve heard Albert Sambi Lokonga speaking publicly about his future and saying he doesn’t expect to stay at the Emirates Stadium,” Romano said.

“My understanding is that Arsenal are open to both loan or permanent deal proposals, based on the fee or the player’s preference – that will also be important. Lokonga is expected to leave again because Arsenal want to bring in a new midfielder and they’ve already got many players in that position.”

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Arsenal surely need a busy summer to ensure they can close that small gap between themselves and Manchester City, so a sale like this could be important to help raise funds for top signings.

Lokonga looked a big prospect when he first moved to north London, but it’s fair to say the club have now raised their standards so can’t be carrying players like this anymore.

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Aston Villa open talks to sign former Chelsea midfielder; Emery has sanctioned the move

Mehdi Gokal — Sat, 18 May 2024 14:48:02 +0000

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa have initiated discussions to re-sign Ross Barkley from Luton Town.

The report indicates that manager Unai Emery has sanctioned the move, signalling the club’s intent to bring back the former Everton and Chelsea midfielder.

Aston Villa are reportedly actively working on a deal to secure Barkley’s services but face competition from several rival Premier League clubs.

Barkley has had a standout season with Luton Town, having joined on a free transfer on last August, after leaving Nice.

Since his arrival, he has made 37 appearances, scoring five goals and providing six assists from a deep midfield position, performances that have attracted the interest of multiple clubs.

With Luton Town now relegated, Barkley is keen to remain in the Premier League, which has sparked a race among clubs to sign the 30-year-old.

Ross Barkley’s performances for Luton Town has attracted interest from several clubs

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