Premier League

Bardi
Fan writer

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It's not so much the player, it's what the failed transfer of Eberechi Eze means long-term for a club that at some point has to negotiate with other Premier League teams.

Daniel Levy's reign has seen an upturn in fortune and fortunes at Spurs, but they still seem unable to compete and complete transfers.

With Morgan Gibbs-White's move to Spurs in pieces, Eze seemed the next logical step, especially with top-four rivals out of the equation, but somehow Levy and Spurs failed to get it over the line.

Who moved the line depends on where you stand in the great Levy debate, but what's clear is that he seems unable to work with other Premier League clubs.

Levy's self-promotion over the years as an "always-on" figure, someone involved with every aspect of the club, has made him a trophy. Over his 24 years at the wheel, he's broken relationships across the league and Europe. Just compare how easy it is for Arsenal to pry players from Chelsea and now Palace.

Premier League chairmen know what to expect from him. They expect to be "drawn over the coals" and they've had enough. People want to move quickly and get on with the business of selling and buying players. Levy, once so adept at negotiating, is now a VHS in a streaming world—everyone has moved on.

Eze was probably not the player we needed. He's not a high-volume creative passer or a dribbling sensation, but he represented far more than that. He's a player at the peak of his powers, and his signature would be a statement of intent. It would also ultimately deny Arsenal a player they coveted.

Spurs now enter the final few weeks of the window reeking of desperation. Selling clubs know what we're holding and how to squeeze us. We have no other option but to pay what they want.

Denying Daniel Levy has become a trophy that football clubs proudly hang in their boardroom. We're no longer Tottenham at the negotiating table—we're Levy, and this is not how business should be done. He needs to remove himself from the equation so we can get back to the business of being a football club.

Find more from Bardi at The Extra Inch, external

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Bournemouth's new signing Amine Adli is realising a personal dream to play in the Premier League by moving to the south coast.

The 25-year-old joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £25.1m including add-ons on Thursday.

Adli scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists in 42 games in 2023-24 as Leverkusen won the Bundesliga and German Cup double under former boss Xabi Alonso.

Those close to the winger say he is excited to play under manager Andoni Iraola at a club that he feels is growing in stature.

He believes Iraola's style of play will fit his skill set having been pitched the chance to play both number 10 and on the right-wing.

Upon joining the club, Adli said: "The people around give me a lot of confidence here and I'm very impressed with the facilities.

"The people at the club are full of love, so I'm very happy and proud to play for Bournemouth and hopefully achieve good things."

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It has been just over a year since Georginio Rutter headed south from Leeds United to join Brighton.

In his latest news conference, Fabian Hurzeler spoke at length about the importance of the French attacker in the dressing room in his first 12 months on the south coast.

"Like he is as a person, [his first year] has been positive," Hurzeler said. "He is always smiling and joking, but when it is time to work he knows to switch on.

"He is a great connector - normally [in the dressing room] you always have groups but he connects the different cultures, ages and characters. He is not only important for me on the pitch, off it as well.

"He is a very positive person, every time you see him you need to smile! He brings a positive energy and he gives it to everyone. That is so crucial because there is pressure, but I want the players to enjoy it when they step into the building.

"It is so important that they find the joy and Georgie brings that."

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Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Stephen Torpey as the club's academy director.

Torpey joins the Red Devils from Brentford where he helped rebuild the club's youth structure. He will start his new role in the coming months, as Everton-bound Nick Cox stays on to aid a "smooth transition".

"I am really proud to have this opportunity to lead Manchester United's Academy" said Torpey. "After spending time with the leadership team, it is clear that the Academy will always remain key to the identity of Manchester United, with our primary aim being to produce players ready to support a first team capable of challenging for the biggest honours."

Director of Football Jason Wilcox added: "Stephen's record of youth development is outstanding; throughout his career he has played a significant role in the development of some of the most talented players in the country."

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Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown says Alexander Isak " shouldn't just walk straight back into the team" if his desired move away from Newcastle does not materialise.

The club's statement in response to Isak's own on Tuesday says the wantaway striker "remains part of our family and will be welcomed back when he is ready to rejoin his team-mates".

"What's frustrating for a teammate is you start the season and he's in the building but not even at training," Brown told the Football Daily podcast.

"The first thing Isak should be doing is always be fully behind everything his teammates are doing. I think that's only an honourable and right thing to do to go and give that support.

"I do understand when it comes to game days where you can start going 'well, if I get injured here then I could miss this dream move'. That's the danger.

"But, in regards to respect to everybody, I think the dressing room will be disappointed during these first couple of games about how the whole thing is all about him rather than about the success and drive they have at the start of the season and how hard they've worked.

"It's not helping the recruitment side of things. His teammates will want to see bodies coming in. If I'm there am I looking over my shoulder and thinking 'we're not going to be the team that gets top four or five'?

"I'd be trying to get a hold of him and trying to get him back in but it's gone too far now to where this is a real mess. Newcastle have said he'd be welcome back at any point. I think that's also dangerous and not the right message.

"I would tell Isak he can stay where he is if that is his opinion and we'll sort it out at some point. He shouldn't just walk straight back into the team I don't think."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on Eberechi Eze, who, despite the best efforts of rivals Tottenham, looks set to join Arsenal.

Here are some of your comments:

Robin: At last, the missing link! Eze stood out to me when he was at QPR and he has really come on in the last two seasons. With the support and quality at Arsenal I think he will make the transition to a world class player by helping Arsenal to become a world class trophy-winning team.

Dave: Brilliant move for us. I was worried after seeing Martinelli at Old Trafford. He has just not kicked on to the next level in terms of finishing and creating. Eze, like Palmer, is a player who can grab a game by the throat and make a real difference.

Guy: I love Eze as a player, but I'm not sure he is the right fit for us or the player we need. An out-and-out left winger would be preferable to me, rather than trying to shoehorn people into places they don't belong.

Ant: While not a goal machine, Eze has proven form in the Premier League over several seasons, and will be looking to prove himself worthy of a place in Tuchel's squad next summer. Bonus points that he's an Arsenal fan, and a former Hale End player.

Sterls: Finally, this was the one transfer I'd been waiting for. Eze is an amazing player and one who will give us that X- factor that we have been looking for. It was noticeable when Odegaard and Saka got injured that our lack of creativity, penetration and goal scoring dried up considerably. Now with the likes of Zubimendi, Gyokeres and Eze onboard, we finally have the links to the missing pieces in us winning a major trophy this year.

Aussie Gooner: Go to bed with Havertz injured and out... wake up with Eze close to Arsenal. Hope it's not a dream and the nightmare is over!

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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The lasting memory of an unproductive opening day may be the odd kinship that appears to have developed between Aston Villa and Newcastle - two clubs who have arrived at a similar status by different routes.

Both have proven potential to break into the top bracket of the Premier League and owners with the financial muscle to back their ambition.

And their fans united on Saturday to claim loudly that their clubs are being held back by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), designed to protect clubs from financial ruin.

Those fans might say that last sentence is contentious, since the very point many of them have made is that the only protecting being done by PSR – and in Villa's case, Uefa's Squad Cost Rules too – is of the established wealthy giants from the perceived nouveau riche like Villa and Newcastle.

And how bizarre that we should be considering clubs with such proud histories as Villa and Newcastle as some kind of insurgent anyway.

Yet it is hard to argue that football does not need some sort of financial control when so many clubs have ended up in trouble - and in extreme cases, ended altogether.

Whether there is a fairer method is a debate likely to outlive both you and me. But if the current system appears to make a transfer like Jacob Ramsey's move to Newcastle more likely, a rethink may be necessary.

Ramsey, an authentic local boy done good, represents "pure profit" for Villa. Unai Emery and his colleagues only ever spoke glowingly of him.

Ramsey himself obviously revelled in playing for the club that nurtured him since just after he started school, and he deserves a warm reception whenever he plays at Villa Park in future.

Should he feel any homesickness, his new club will understand – in another parallel between the sides, Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson, apparently for similar reasons, last year.

Ramsey and Anderson will both prosper. They may play together for England one day.

Perhaps this sort of transfer is caused not by the rules themselves, but the way clubs choose to observe them. We can debate that.

But for now, it may be that the best way for a young player to have a long career at their dream club, if they are in a position like Villa or Newcastle, is to join somebody else's academy first.

"It works from an accounting point of view," said football finance expert Kieran Maguire on these pages this week. "But it's absolutely awful from a footballing perspective."

Villa fans might well agree.

Listen to full commentary of Brentford v Aston Villa at 15:00 on Saturday on BBC Radio WM DAB Birmingham/Freeview 714

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Nick Barnes
BBC Radio Newcastle commentator

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I think it is fair to say Sunderland have defied all expectations when it comes to their summer recruitment.

Not only in terms of the money spent but in the number of players signed.

Unquestionably fans instinctively knew Sunderland's squad from the Championship needed strengthening for the Premier League campaign.

Five or six players with Premier League experience would conservatively have been a lot of people's estimation, but as to how much they would cost and whether that would be enough was always going to be the big question.

No-one really knew how much owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus would be prepared to spend with his model of sustainability at the forefront of everything the club has done in his tenure.

He and his team have blown everyone away with the money spent but also with the quality of the players signed.

Granit Xhaka is the standout example, but he's not the only one. Habib Diarra, Omar Alderete, Noah Sadiki, Simon Adingra, the list goes on.

The defeat of West Ham, albeit only one game, suggested all these players are comfortable in their Premier League skin.

The bonus was their three goals were scored by three players who came up with the team from the Championship.

It's a bold and ambitious bid to stay up but Sunderland fans are certainly backing them to do so.

How does it compare to other promoted clubs?

According to transfermarkt,, external Sunderland now top the all-time list for amount spent by a promoted club in the Premier League.

With a summer spend of £142m so far, both them, and fellow promoted side Burnley - who have spent £109m - are hoping for a solid return on their investment.

As far as the numbers go, the other four teams to have spent big upon their Premier League return have had mixed results.

Both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest narrowly avoided the drop after busy summer windows following promotion, but are now playing in Europe.

However, last summer saw Southampton an Ipswich finish as the bottom two sides in the league.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Lesley, Football Extra reader, asked me: With reference to the Alexander Isak situation, as a player in the dressing room with him, when would you consider a line to have been crossed that means he would not be welcomed back into the team? Missing training, missing a match, missing two... ?

A lot depends on the player, the personality and the way he has behaved. The team will find it hard to fully forgive their errant wantaway team-mate if he is hurting the group, but turning on him totally is different. This is where we are with Alexander Isak right now: they can't use him if he refuses to play and they can't replace him if he isn't sold. Everyone is suffering.

Within the squad, everyone knows it is just brinkmanship on both sides; we have all been there to a greater or lesser degree when moving clubs. When the business is about the money, it almost invariably gets uglier the longer it goes on.‌

The end of the transfer window is getting closer. Isak will be listening to his advisors. He has to know that however unhappy, uncomfortable and unpopular he is just now, if this works out for him and he ends up at Liverpool soon, then in his eyes it will have all been worth it... with bells on.

What the former team-mates think of him will matter little; it is what his new team-mates think that then matters.

Football is generally selfish and there is little loyalty from either clubs or players when it doesn't suit them. One outlook I'm sure Isak would like to be shared just now is that, from his perspective, he arrived costing £60m, did a fine job, scored more than 60 goals three seasons. If he leaves, Newcastle will probably have doubled their money. That isn't a bad return for his services.‌

There is little point in Newcastle - or indeed any football club - trying to claim the moral high ground. Right now, Yoane Wissa is not playing for Brentford because he is hoping for a move to Newcastle. How radically different is that to Isak's situation?‌

Players know this is how it works and it is why the Newcastle dressing room might be very disappointed in Isak, but they will not necessarily turn on him, because next season it might just be them in the same situation.

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Nick Godwin
BBC Radio London reporter

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Tottenham's quest for a 'number 10' to fill the gap left by the absence of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski has become one of the dominant themes of the transfer window.

Eberechi Eze may well be the solution to allow Spurs to carry more threat, particularly against the best teams in the land and on the continent. However, there were hints on Saturday that there was another potential player who could step into that role if required.

Lucas Bergvall was selected as part of a very young midfield for Saturday's Premier League opener against Burnley. And while part of a midfield three, he demonstrated some of the flair required to occupy that role just off the main striker.

As Spurs learned last year, simply throwing young players into the front line may have been an unavoidable necessity due to injuries, but it didn't really do much good as far as Premier League results were concerned.

Bergvall nevertheless learned a huge amount last season, and his manager didn't rule out the prospect of using him in a "number 10 role" when I spoke to him after Saturday's match:

"I think he can," Frank said. "I think he's probably more a Szoboszlai 10 than a Maddison 10, but I think these days football is so dynamic and you need to be so flexible, so the more players that can play in different positions the better".

In the search for creative attacking support, Spurs might be able to develop a player or two, as well as import some big-money expertise.

Frank seems well-equipped to do this.

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We asked for your views on whether Alexander Isak will join Liverpool after the Newcastle striker and his club exchanged words regarding his future.

Here are some of your comments:

Dave: At the start of the transfer window, I would have seen Isak as a priority signing. With the arrival of Ekitike and Wirtz, and especially with how Isak has portrayed himself in the last month, I am nowhere near as keen. I actually think a centre-back signing is more important now anyway.

Andy: Surely it's now 'when' not 'if', but then again we're waiting for Newcastle to sign at least one striker. We'll soon see, but it's been messy at best. With Isak though LFC will be expected to win the lot. It ramps expectation to new heights not experienced since the 80s.

Ashley: Personally I feel Newcastle are running out of time as Isak has made it clear he wants Liverpool and won't play for them again. It's only because they have wealthy backers they haven't let him go yet. £120m will allow them to throw big money at another decent striker or strikers.

Stephen: Leave him there. He's a troublemaker.

Tom: I don't want him now. To show that attitude to your club is frankly not the behaviour of a player Liverpool should have. He will only do it to us in three years when Madrid come in for him. Ekitike has shown his worth already - why discard him to the bench or the wing?

Mark: It's dragging on too long. It's best for everyone now that Isak gets his move. I can't see any good coming from him remaining at Newcastle.

Fraser: It's pretty clear - Isak wants to join us but Newcastle have let him down. I hope we get him (and there's still a chance we will this window) but even if we don't, I'll be very happy with Hugo Ekitike up front. He's already becoming a fan favourite. We do, however, need another forward or two as we are looking a little light up front. I'm sure we'll get something done. As this window has shown, we actually have a good recruitment team. Newcastle's recruitment team is practically non-existent.

Phil: Can't trust him, what happens when he nears the end of a contract at Liverpool? Move on and get a defender, he's not for sale.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Many people consider Manchester City as outsiders in the title race – only five of our 33 pundits predict them to lift the trophy in May – but their impressive 4-0 win at Wolves means that they have now taken 43 points from their 20 games in 2025 - more than any other side.

Liverpool fans may argue that their team took their foot off the gas for the final four games of last season after winning the title, but City have still taken a point more having played a game fewer.

Rodri's season-ending injury last September clearly derailed their Premier League campaign but, rather than simply awaiting his return, Pep Guardiola has found a solution without him and the former champions have been getting back on track since the start of the year.

The graph below is City's 'non-penalty expected goal difference per game' since the start of last season, which tells us how much a team dominates their games by creating lots of good chances and limiting their opponents to few, bad ones.

It is the X-ray stat - the one that shows how good teams are before hot finishing streaks and the rub of the green come into play.

As we can see, Guardiola's side are now almost dominating games to the level that they were before Rodri's injury, so anyone writing them off does so at their peril.

It seemed reasonable to assume that City would only return to being the dominant force they were once the Ballon d'Or winner himself returned. But, given that only Liverpool have dominated their games more since the start of the year, we may be wrong in that assumption.

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Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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Liverpool will score lots and lots of goals this season. Some of the attacking link-up play was extraordinary during the 4-2 win over Bournemouth.

But whether we can retain the title or not will depend on if we can plug the gaps in the middle when we lose the ball.

Both Bournemouth's goals came from counter-attacks. There were no defensive midfielders in both situations to stop the fast break and Antoine Semenyo finished with aplomb on both occasions.

Liverpool were without Ryan Gravenberch, who is the most defensive of Arne Slot's midfielders, but it feels like more of a tactical issue than a personnel one.

At 2-1 up, Liverpool flooded bodies into Bournemouth's box. The full-backs were in the opposition penalty area and the midfielders were in attack mode, too. One transition and it was 2-2.

Thankfully, the power of Anfield and the relentlessness of Liverpool's attack meant we scored two more goals, but it should have been a much more professional job.

In all likelihood, Liverpool will spend huge money on Alexander Isak before the window closes, strengthening an already jaw-dropping attack. Marc Guehi is expected at centre-back, too.

If it were me, I would try to beat Manchester United to Brighton's ball-winning machine Carlos Baleba. He has the tenacity and defensive characteristics required for the double pivot.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

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Former Wolves defender Conor Coady says the Manchester United shirt won't weigh heavy on Matheus Cunha because he plays "with no fear."

"I absolutely love him," Coady said about his former team mate on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "He is an outstanding footballer with an appetite to do well.

"When you go to a club like Manchester United you have to play with no fear and I think he is like that every time he steps on the pitch.

"We knew the type of player he was at Wolves, in terms of his character and mentality to want to take Wolves to the next level.

"The shirt can be heavy for certain players, but I certainly don't think it will be heavy for him.

"I played against him last season and he just doesn't stop. He has the ability to get on the ball and really make things happen.

"He will score goals and he will create chances so I think it was a fantastic signing for United."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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Considering Manchester City conceded 44 goals in the Premier League last season - the most in a season since 2009-10 - it would be reasonable to think that Ederson himself didn't have a great campaign in terms of shot-stopping.

His save percentage would certainly suggest that, ranking 13th out of the 26 goalkeepers that played at least 10 games in 2024-25.

But judging a keeper's shot-stopping purely by his save percentage doesn't take into account the quality of shots that he specifically faced, since not all shots are equal.

It's a bit like being a judge at a cooking contest and not considering the quality of ingredients each chef is working with when deciding who made the tastiest meal (this is also why 'shot conversion rate' doesn't tell us who's the best finisher).

The reason why that is so important for Ederson in particular is because although he had one of the quietest shifts in goal last season since City didn't give up many chances, he had the toughest in terms of shot-stopping as the former champions gave up higher-quality shots than any other team in the league.

When taking that into account, only Jordan Pickford of Everton was a better shot-stopper than Ederson in the Premier League last season, with the Brazilian preventing five goals more than expected from hitting the back of the net.

BBC Sport's tactics correspondent Umir Irfan says Arne Slot is "going for a more fluid approach" in Liverpool's forward line and Alexander Isak would fit in very well with Hugo Ekitike.

Although it is unknown whether Isak will get his desired move, Irfan has been looking at the way the Reds may set up if they sign the Newcastle striker.

"There are similarities between Ekitike and Isak, but Ekitike has a great tendency to drop deep and get involved," Irfan told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"From what we have seen so far in their build-up play, Milos Kerkez stays in the back three and Jeremie Frimpong pushes really high and wide. Ekitike and Dominik Szoboszlai then drop really deep and into the wide areas, and when they do that the left-winger comes inside.

"That makes it really hard for opposition players.

"I can imagine a scenario where Ekitike starts in the middle when Liverpool are building-up, before he pulls out wide, which leaves all of that space for Isak.

"In more settled play, you would have Isak down the middle and Ekitike on the left.

"They would be interchanging. When you have two really good players on the ball with experience of moving to the left flank, it will be really hard for teams to pick up."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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Mark Scott
Final Score reporter

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"Rodrigo Muniz, we want you to stay" was the chant from the away end after the Brazilian's last-gasp strike earned Fulham a point at Brighton, with noise last week claiming Atalanta were looking to sign him.

It wasn't just the fact he scored but the way he converted the chance which caught the eye - an elite piece of clinical finishing, and yet another he has bagged from the bench.

Muniz's seven goals as a sub since the start of last season is more than any other player in the division.

With him having only started a quarter of his Premier League games in 2024-25, Marco Silva must be weighing up making him a more regular fixture from the off - if Muniz is still at the club come the end of the window.

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Noel Sliney
BBC Sport journalist

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Nottingham Forest's new signing Arnaud Kalimuendo finished as the third top scorer in Ligue 1 last season with 17 goals – all from inside the penalty area and including five spot-kicks.

Only Paris St-Germain's Ousmane Dembele and Mason Greenwood of Marseille scored more, though Kalimuendo's shot conversion rate of 22% was better than both of them.

He scored 13 of his 18 big chances, equating to 72% - a figure only bettered by one regular scorer in France's top flight last season. Kalimuendo, though not tall, has the strength and skill to turn defenders and he ranks highly for winning possession in the final third too.

The 23-year-old started his career at PSG but only made one league start for the club.

He scored 19 goals in 60 league games on loan at Lens and has improved his goal output each season with Rennes, who he joined in 2022. He scored 40 goals in 113 appearances for the club in all competitions, as well as 11 goals in 33 caps for France Under-21s.

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Tottenham and Crystal Palace are currently in discussions over a fee for Eberechi Eze, but as things stand there is no agreement yet.

There are one or two complications in that Palace will only sanction the deal if they can get one or two forwards across the line first.

A deal is fairly close but whether it gets sanctioned is dependent on Palace's transfer activity.

With Manchester United's new striker Benjamin Sesko eased into action as a substitute, Matheus Cunha was initially tasked with leading the line against Arsenal. Despite a preference for playing slightly deeper, the Brazilian menaced Arsenal's defence all afternoon and was only denied a debut goal by David Raya's fingertips.

Cunha had four shots, second only to team-mate Bryan Mbeumo, who also gave United more attacking thrust despite being tightly marked throughout the game.

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport Journalist

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Debutant Viktor Gyokeres wasn't helped by a lack of service on Sunday.

His tally of 22 touches was the second fewest on either side among the players to start, with Arsenal's attacking intent stifled by Manchester United for the most part.

Arsenal struggled to get hold of the ball, with their number of passes into the final third and touches in the opposition penalty area being around half of their average last season.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United are braced for an offer from Chelsea for Alejandro Garnacho but are determined not to let the young winger leave on the cheap.

Senior United figures believe Garnacho is keen to move to Stamford Bridge, which is the main reason why he is still at Old Trafford nearly three months after head coach Ruben Amorim told him to find a new club.

The relationship between the two sides has deteriorated and on Sunday a picture of Garnacho close to Old Trafford was defaced.

However, the manner of his exit is hugely important as Amorim looks to reshape his squad.

As an academy graduate, the money raised will have a significant impact on United's profit and sustainability situation.

However, the negotiations - when they eventually start - will be a major test for the Old Trafford club's director of football negotiations, Matt Hargreaves, and director of recruitment, Christopher Vivell.

United know Chelsea will attempt to drive the price down for 21-year-old Garnacho.

Yet insiders at Old Trafford note the Blues' reluctance to sell one of their unwanted forwards, Christopher Nkunku, to Bayern Munich for less than £50m and feel that should guide the London club's valuation of Argentina international Garnacho, who they consider to be a better player.

Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho is still to decide whether to accept the opportunity to join Roma.

The Serie A outfit have lodged an official bid for the 25-year-old. While United are yet to respond, the deal - thought to be worth in the region of £20m - is similar to what they are looking for and can form the basis for talks.

However, Sancho is still to confirm whether he is willing to accept it.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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It was Aston Villa's first opening day Premier League home game for 15 years.

It would be too far to say fans would be happy to wait another 15 for the next one but it is game which will not live long in the memory.

A stalemate against Newcastle at least ensured Villa will go a calendar year unbeaten at home in the Premier League.

But, especially in the first half, they were undercooked and second best behind a Newcastle side who are a direct competitor for a Champions League spot.

The Magpies pipped Villa to fifth on goal difference last season and, on this evidence, may put daylight between the sides by the end of the current campaign.

It is clear Villa need quality reinforcements - they are without former loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio and are about to sell Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £40m - but financial restrictions have ruled Villa's summer transfer spend.

Emery called for a "review" of profit and sustainability rules in his programme column and afterwards insisted Villa will continue to respect the rules.

"I am happy how we are managing things," he said.

"Since I've been here we have done fantastic transfer window. We have to be intelligent and the most important thing is how we are building the team and getting as strong as possible with the players we have.

"We are ambitious but we are ambitious trying to respect the rules and trying to get the best players possible. We are not going to rest in case we can be with some options in the transfer window."

Ezri Konsa's 66th-minute red card halted Villa's momentum after they managed to wrestle control from Newcastle after the break.

• Emery reflected on the match and Konsa's dismissal on BBC Radio West Midlands

Boubacar Kamara headed at Nick Pope before Ollie Watkins tested Pope but Emery had to accept a point as a positive.

He added: "We are not happy when we are losing two points at home. I think more or less they maybe deserved more because they had better chances. We have to accept it."

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Four years ago, Jesse Lingard fell out of favour at Manchester United and was snapped up on loan by then-West Ham boss David Moyes.

The results were spectacular, nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances for the Hammers.

At his opening news conference for the Premier League season, Moyes says he hopes new signing Jack Grealish can mirror that success.

"He looks the same - big calves!" Moyes said on the England international. "You will have to turn up on Monday [to see if he will be involved against Leeds].

"The best example I can think of is when I brought Jesse Lingard to West Ham. He was probably not expected to be too successful, and maybe a little bit worn down, but he got himself back into the England team.

"If Jack can do a bit of the Jesse Lingard, it will be a great story. It is a World Cup year and he is in good enough shape. I just need to get him enough time."

The 29 year-old arrives at the Hill Dickinson stadium on loan - with an option to make the move permanent next summer.

Moyes believes the forward can prove a solution in a number of areas on the pitch for his new side, as long as he is given the opportunity.

"I think Jack can play in several positions, as a midfielder [as well as a winger]," Moyes added.

"My aim is to get Jack in a creative postion where he can score and assist goals. It is a big challenge for Jack and I am looking forward to seeing how he responds to it."