Aston Villa are now very interested in signing a “magnificent” striker, amid a major update on his future ahead of the January transfer window.

Villa eyeing striker as Emery drops Watkins update

Ollie Watkins got off to a slow start to the campaign, scoring just one goal in the Premier League prior to the brace against Brighton, and Unai Emery has now opened up about a potential reason for the dip in form, stating the striker has been struggling injury-wise.

Emery said: ‘He has a small pain in his knee from last year when we started the season in August,’

“Now he is feeling the same pain. He is not feeling 100 per cent and we are trying to manage it with him. We are trying to get to the stage where he is completely without pain – and through this, to feel better again and have the confidence to score.”

The England international may be under pressure to continue performing ahead of January, however, given that the Villans are now lining up a move for a new striker, with it recently being revealed that Emery is a huge fan of Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

There has now been a new update on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Thiago, with a report from Caught Offside revealing they are very interested in signing the centre-forward, who is highly likely to leave Brentford during the upcoming transfer window.

There could be competition for the Brazilian’s signature, however, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also particularly keen to snap him up, after scouting him closely.

A deal may not break the bank either, with the interested clubs looking in to getting a deal done for a fee of around €35m – €40m (£31m – £35m).

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Posts ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025 Thiago could be "magnificent" signing for Aston Villa

The 24-year-old continued his fine form as Brentford defeated Burnley 3-1 at the weekend, bagging a brace, and manager Keith Andrews was very impressed with his performance, saying: “[Igor] has been magnificent. He was quiet in the first half. It was down to us too, not giving him enough service, and the opposition was denying him the space and opportunity.”

“But I felt he could impose himself a little more in the game, and he did exactly that in the second half.”

The Brentford star now has 11 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, the second-highest number behind Erling Haaland.

As such, a fee of around £35m could be an absolute steal for Thiago, and Villa should definitely make a January move.

Newcastle United will be hoping for a smoother January transfer window than the one they experienced in the summer. Eddie Howe’s side were embroiled in several sagas, including Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, which was the talk of the entire transfer window.

They did make some pretty big signings, too. Malick Thiaw joined the club from AC Milan and has gone on to become a key player for Howe’s side.

They also managed to replace Isak with Nick Woltemade, who has impressed in the four months he has been at St. James’ Park, following his club-record £69m switch.

It seems as though the Magpies are lining up some more moves with the next window around the corner.

Newcastle’s latest transfer target

The Magpies are already linked with a couple of midfield targets. Former academy star Elliot Anderson is one man on their shopping list, as is ex-Manchester United and Napoli man Scott McTominay.

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However, according to a recent report from The Athletic, there is another midfielder on their list of targets.

That man is Stuttgart star Bilal El Khannouss, and the report explains he is a player whom the higher-ups at St. James’ Park have already held ‘internal conversations’ about in recent weeks.

This would not necessarily be an easy deal for the North Eastern giants to complete.

The Moroccan star only joined the Bundesliga side on loan this summer from Leicester City. However, he has a buy option in the deal, which may add complications.

As for a price, El Khannouss’ buy clause is worth £21m, so the Magpies may well have to pay a similar fee.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing

Adding a player with the attacking quality of El Khannouss to their squad would certainly enhance the final third quality that Howe has at his disposal.

As football scout Antonio Mango said, the 21-year-old is a “magician” on the ball.

Indeed, he has shone for German outfit Stuttgart this season. In just 16 appearances across all competitions for the club, he’s managed to score five times and assist four, operating as a number ten.

In the top flight of Germany, the attacker has five goals and assists in ten games.

Let’s not forget that the former Leicester star shone for the Foxes in the Premier League last season. In a tough campaign for the club in which they got relegated, he grabbed five top-flight goal involvements, including this sublime strike against Tottenham Hotspur.

The attacking midfielder’s stats from the Bundesliga season so far show the sort of quality he can add to Newcastle’s attack.

For example, he’s averaging 6.52 progressive passes and 2.81 key passes per 90 minutes, which both rank him in the top 5% of attackers.

Key passes

2.81

95th

Passes into final third

4.5

95th

Passes into penalty box

1.8

85th

Progressive passes

6.52

95th

Shot-creating actions

4.5

85th

This signing certainly has shades of the addition of Woltemade this summer.

As El Khannouss is doing now, the German striker shone in what proved to be his solitary season at Stuttgart and impressed with 18 goals and three assists in just 36 appearances for the Bundesliga side.

Since moving to the North East of England, Woltemade has continued that good form.

He already has seven goals to his name in that famous Black and White shirt, with his most recent effort being this exquisite chip against Everton last weekend.

It is easy to see how the potential move for El Khannouss has shades of the Woltemade deal. It seems like the Moroccan star will also spend just one season at the club, and Newcastle could well be his destination.

That is certainly one parallel, but the form which both players have, or did, showcase in the Bundesliga is another interesting dynamic.

Newcastle bought Woltemade based on his sensational 2024/25 campaign, and it feels as though that was some of the logic behind signing the Morocco international too.

If they do only have to pay £21m, that is an extraordinarily cheap fee for a player who could instantly improve their attacking quality.

Outscoring Woltemade: Newcastle preparing move for one of the PL's best strikers

He’s been in excellent form.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 3, 2025

It was the 15th straight win for Australia in ODI World Cups, while South Africa registered their lowest ODI total against Australia

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Alana King ran through South Africa•Getty Images

15 – Consecutive wins for Australia at the Women’s World Cup since their defeat against India in the 2017 semi-final. They have equalled their own record of 15 straight wins across the 1997 and 2000 editions, which was ended by New Zealand in the final of the 2000 edition.97 – South Africa’s lowest total against Australia in women’s ODIs. Their previous lowest was 105 in Adelaide in 2024.24 – Overs in which South Africa were bowled out in Indore, the fourth-shortest innings in women’s ODI World Cups. South Africa feature three times in the top four entries, which includes the 69 all out in 20.4 overs in their first game against England in this tournament.Related

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7 for 18 – Alana King’s bowling figures on Saturday against South Africa are the first seven-for in the history of the women’s ODI World Cups, breaking a long-standing record of 6 for 10 by Jackie Lord of New Zealand in 1982.King’s returns were also the best for an Australian in women’s ODIs. She is the third Australia bowler to take a seven-for in women’s ODIs after Shelley Nitschke and Ellyse Perry.21 – Balls King took to complete her second ODI five-for. This is the fastest recorded five-for in women ODIs, breaking the record of Ireland’s Aimee Maguire, who did so in 23 balls against England in 2024.39 – Wickets by both Marizanne Kapp and Megan Schutt in ODI World Cups, the joint-second most in the tournament history, equaling Lyn Fullston and only behind Jhulan Goswami with 43 wickets.

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