The former Kent batsman has stepped down from his role, less than two years into a three-year contract
Madushka Balasuriya 12-Feb-2018Sri Lanka’s high performance manager Simon Willis has handed in his resignation to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), less than two years into a three-year contract. ESPNcricinfo understands that Willis’ decision was down to personal reasons and that plans to bring in a suitable replacement is now underway.”Simon has given us six months notice and as such will remain with Sri Lanka Cricket until June 30,” a SLC official said. “We will therefore be advertising for the position.”Willis, whose recruitment was spearheaded by Aravinda De Silva – in his then capacity as SLC cricket committee chairman – had been recruited especially for the newly created role of high performance manager in May 2016 to oversee Sri Lanka’s cricket academy, as well play a key role in identifying and developing young talent.SLC hopes to bring in Willis’ replacement at least two months prior to the end of his term, so as to ensure a smooth transition.
Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed their first three points of the season in match week three of the Premier League, after what was a treacherous summer for the Old Gold.
From being restricted of funds due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) pressures, to being left without a manager just five days before the 2023/24 campaign commenced, the outlook for Wolves’ season ahead looked bleak before the off.
Gary O’Neil was hired as a quick resolution in the coaching department, as well as the sale of Matheus Nunes aiding the club in bringing in much-needed reinforcements after months of tight finances, turning the direction from the doom and gloom of the past to the positives of the future.
One issue that remains is the squad’s difficulty in scoring goals, which was speculated to have been an area eyed to bolster on deadline day, however, the window closed without a striker identified.
Who did Wolves want to sign this summer?
The narrative of Che Adams’ future was of interest to Molineux on the final day of the transfer window, as the Southampton striker was speculated to make the move to the Midlands.
It was later revealed that any potential deal was off, according to Express and Star, leaving O’Neil short in the strike department as expected this season.
Earlier in the summer, fans were left dreaming as links to former Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres circled, however, the Sweden international made the move to Sporting Lisbon in a deal rumoured to be worth around £18.5m.
There’s no doubt that Wolves would have been attracted to the services of Gyokeres, who netted 22 goals and registered 12 assists in all competitions for the Sky Blues last term.
After ending the 2022/23 season as the Premier League’s lowest-scorers, it was imperative that a reliable forward was recruited to break the chain, however, things never looked likely as the details of the club’s financial turmoil unravelled.
One positive from the lows of the FFP worries was that Fabio Silva remained at the club, after returning from a season of two loan experiences at both Anderlecht and PSV.
Wolves striker Fabio Silva.
The 21-year-old made a strong impact away from Molineux, scoring seven goals in the Belgian Pro League in his first loan spell, followed by netting four Eredivisie goals for PSV before his return.
While his talent is unquestionable, the youngster's development is a process with his skills still raw and maturing to the demands of the Premier League, leaving question marks over whether he could be the man to solve such woes in the final third.
Indeed, when it comes to his action for the Old Gold, Silva has only found the net on five occasions in 67 outings.
Gyokeres, therefore, could have been the perfect inclusion for the Old Gold, as highlighted by his fast start in Portugal, where he scored a brace on his debut in Liga Portugal for Sporting.
Previously lauded as “one of a kind” by former manager Mark Robins, the 25-year-old has the feel of a prolific forward and one that could have been a reliable figure at Molineux to bolster their outlook in front of goal.
Silva is yet to open his scoring in the Premier League this season, and with plenty of minutes still to be played there is a chance he will find his feet, however, many will be wondering just how the team would have looked with the former Coventry City marksman setting the pace.
Arsenal have now been provided with a new update on their pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi by transfer insider Dean Jones.
What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?
The Gunners are searching for a new centre-back, in light of Jurrien Timber's recent injury blow, and they have now set their sights on Galatasaray's Victor Nelsson, who has a release clause of just €25m (£21m) included in his contract.
Journalist Rudy Galetti has made it clear that a number of options are being considered, with four targets currently on the shortlist, however Mikel Arteta may be forced to reduce it to three, as Barcelona are unwilling to sell Erik Garcia.
The La Liga club are unwilling to sanction a loan move this close to the end of the summer transfer window, so Arteta may have to turn his attentions elsewhere, with Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba previously being named as a potential option.
However, the German club have made it clear that Tapsoba will not be available on the cheap, with Football Insider reporting they are set to hold out for a fee of £50m, which has proven to be "prohibitive" for north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Another one of Arsenal's more expensive centre-back targets is Guehi, with Jones recently telling GiveMeSport that Palace's asking price may increase at this stage of the window, considering they would not have much time to bring in a replacement.
The transfer insider said: “The Marc Guehi interest has been there for a while. I don’t know that it necessarily would combine well with any interest from Takehiro Tomiyasu from Palace because Palace have no intention to lose Guehi and value him very, very highly.
“Earlier in the window I was being told of a £60m valuation on him and to be honest at this stage of the window it has probably risen. Guehi himself would even have reservations about how he fits in with Gabriel, William Saliba, Ben White and Jurrien Timber over the course of the season because he definitely needs regular game time to get into the England squad and won’t want to be fighting for his spot on a weekly basis, even at a big club like that.”
How tall is Marc Guehi?
The Palace star is not the tallest of centre-backs, standing at 6 foot, however he has been very effective for Palace over the past two seasons, with his performances earning him an England call-up, featuring for the Three Lions against Malta in the summer.
Lauded as "incredible" by members of the media, the former Swansea City man particularly specialises in tackling, with no player aged 21 or under averaging a better tackle success rate in England's top two tiers during the 2020-21 season.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Having now proven himself in the top flight, the 22-year-old could now be ready to make the step-up to a club the size of Arsenal, but it does not seem like a move that is likely to happen before the deadline.
Guehi's inflated asking price could dissuade the Gunners from making an approach, and he may not even be keen on the move himself at this stage of the career.
Newcastle United could still make a move for Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney despite rival interest from a European club and the addition of Lewis Hall, according to pundit Frank McAvennie.
Why would Newcastle need Hall and Tierney?
Earlier this month, Eddie Howe made it clear he wanted to sign one more player this summer, in order to have the "ideal depth" in his squad, and the manager has now gotten his wish, with Chelsea's Hall joining on loan, with an obligation to buy.
Hall has arrived at St. James' Park for the season, and Newcastle must pay £28m plus £7m in add-ons to sign him permanently, with Howe seemingly bringing the 18-year-old in to play at left-back, having been in the market for a new option in that area of the pitch throughout the summer.
However, Jacob Whitehead makes it clear in his piece for The Athletic that Hall is not just a left-back, favouring a box-to-box midfield role, so Howe could choose to utilise him in a left-sided number 8 position.
However, Howe has seemingly brought the youngster in to strengthen his defence, which means there may be no reason to bring Tierney in on loan, having previously identified the Arsenal ace as a target.
Even so, pundit Frank McAvennie believes the Magpies could make a late swoop for the Scotland international, who he thinks can do a lot better than Real Sociedad, with the Spanish side recently being named as potential suitors.
In an interview with Football Insider, McAvennie said: “I think he is better than that.
“I think he is a better player than Real Sociedad. He is just not getting a game because of the way they are playing at Arsenal, it is nothing to do with his injury.
“I do not know what has happened with Newcastle because I thought he would have gone there. I think they might still come in, I would not be surprised if he ended up going to Newcastle.“
Read The Latest Newcastle Transfer News HERE
Is Kieran Tierney joining Newcastle?
Although the Scot could be another fantastic option for Howe at left-back, having been hailed as "sensational" by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, it seems very unlikely that Newcastle make a move for him in the final week of the transfer window.
Howe has made it clear that he is working under "tight constraints", as the club need to abide by Financial Fair Play rules, and he has already signed Hall, in what will eventually be a £35m deal, so the manager has no reason to bring in another left-back.
Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney.
Arsenal have always insisted on a £30m fee for the 26-year-old, so he is likely to be unaffordable, with the Magpies already shelling out €153m (£131m) on transfer fees this summer, not including the £35m they will need to pay for Hall.
If the Chelsea loanee cements himself as a central midfielder, rather than a left-back, Newcastle could revisit a deal for Tierney in the future, but the former Celtic man may have already left Arsenal by that point, so it is now very unlikely he moves to St. James' Park.
Justin Langer, the Western Australia coach, touted Mitchell Marsh as a future Australia captain and suggested he should be included in the XI for the Perth Test, where the side could need a fifth bowling option
Daniel Brettig in Perth08-Dec-2017Western Australia coach and former Australia batsman Justin Langer has touted Mitchell Marsh as an Australia captain of the future, while declaring the national selectors should include him in the team for the third Ashes Test in Perth on what is likely to be a pancake flat WACA Ground pitch.’I’ve never seen Shaun bat better’
Shaun Marsh has vindicated Justin Langer’s assertion that the left-hander was in the form of his life ahead of the Ashes series, in which he has played vital innings in each of the first two matches. “There’s plenty of critics of Shaun Marsh out there but as I said for the last three months, I’ve never seen him bat better,” Langer said. “I’ve known him since he was a little kid, I’ve never seen him bat better, he’s relaxed, he’s playing well his innings – if you think about that in the context of that last Test match, when the wicket was really tough to bat on, it was an absolutely brilliant innings. “It wasn’t that long ago in India that he was called the superman of Australian cricket , when he batted through the day with Peter Handscomb to hold off for a draw. We know what he can do and if you actually look at this numbers – in terms of conversion of 50s or 100s, in his brief Test career so far – he’s unbelievable. He’s a gun player. “Shaun’s record over the last few years in domestic cricket for WA has been unbelievable. When you look at his numbers, and you see his performance – players have to get rewarded for performance. And if you look at his numbers he deserves to get selected. I say the same with Mitch now – he’s scored nearly 1000 runs for the season, he’s bowling again, he’s captaining the side, he fields well in the slips. On pure performance, they deserve to get selected.”
While typically hesitant to change a winning team, Langer said that the likely conditions for the Perth Test meant that Australia would need a fifth bowling option and that Marsh was ready to step in, having returned to the bowling crease after shoulder surgery. He has also been in outstanding touch with the bat as captain of Western Australia.Should Marsh play, he would more than likely take the place of the Victoria batsman Pete Handscomb, who has been struggling for runs and technical cohesion at No. 5 so far in this series. The next question would be where Marsh sits in the batting order, either at No. 6 where he batted previously or perhaps at No. 7 beneath the wicketkeeper Tim Paine, with greater licence to freely attack the bowlers.”Australia are 2-0 up in the Ashes, I never like to change a winning team,” Langer said in Perth. “That said, if there’s any concerns about any of the bowlers and if the wicket looks anything like what we’ve played on in the last two Shield games here then you’d definitely like to have another fast-bowling option I think. Because spin-bowling doesn’t usually have the impact here as it does other grounds. So maybe Nathan Lyon won’t have the same impact he’s had in Adelaide and Brisbane.”Mitchell Marsh, like a lot of young players, you get in early then part of the journey is you get dropped. Then you’ve got a choice to make, you can either fade away or get better. The last three months he’s probably scored 1000 runs for Western Australia – if you look at the JLT Cup, he was unbelievable. His presence at the crease, like his brother, was sublime in the one-day tournament. He’s come out, got 400 or so runs in Shield cricket so far. He’s got 190 here at the WACA where the Test match is, so he’s going from strengths to strengths.”He’s also captain of Western Australia now, showing great leadership and doing a very good job of that. And he’s bowling again, so you can understand it’s zero surprise to me, as it has been throughout his whole career, that he’s an attractive player for the selectors. It’s a no-brainer really. Whether he forces himself into the team, time will tell. From an absolutely biased Western Australia cricket coach point of view, I hope he does but it means someone will have to miss out – and probably nobody deserves to miss out when they’re 2-0 up time will tell, but he’s certainly done everything he can to knock hard to get into the team.”Getty ImagesHaving made the choice to elevate Marsh to the captaincy in the off-season, Langer said he had expected the allrounder to be a popular leader in the dressing room but that he had been pleasantly surprised by the 26-year-old’s tactical sharpness. “He’s probably exceeded expectations actually, he’s really taken it on,” Langer said. “I knew he’s a very popular person. And sometimes leadership isn’t a popularity contest – and he’ll keep growing into that, but I’ve been really impressed with him strategically on the field.”But he’s seen a lot of cricket, he’s been in cricket change rooms almost literally since he was born. He’s seen a lot of cricket, and I should probably have never underestimated that, but he’s strategically very good. And he’s been excellent on and off the field. The captaincy and leadership is going to be a big part of his re-emergence in international cricket.”Langer revealed that he would speak with the WACA curator Matthew Page and suggest to him that the pitch be left with some decent grass coverage to encourage some movement off the pitch and through the air. The sight of the ball moving around during the day-night Test in Adelaide excited Langer due to the even contest between bat and ball – something he views as key to the future of the game’s longest format.”The last few games it’s been flat. I hope Pagey [curator Matthew Page] leaves some good green grass on it, that way it usually swings a bit which is great for the game of cricket and it usually carries through to the keeper, so the slips come into the game,” Langer said. “I hope that happens, I’ll probably tell Pagey that. I haven’t been out there yet, I hope it’s a great contest.”In terms of a bigger picture discussion, Test cricket will thrive and grow and live forever if we get the wickets right. And people might think I’m crazy but if they get the wickets right around the world in Test cricket, we were all enthralled watching that last Test match at Adelaide Oval. Pink ball under lights but it was actually swinging and really good players like Shaun Marsh could get 100s. I hope it’s a wicket where there is an even contest between bat and ball, if you do that, people will be glued to their seats at the ground or at home. It makes for a great contest, that’s what Test cricket is all about.”The last Test was absolutely enthralling. We were playing at the MCG all day then we’d go back and watch cricket for the next three or four hours, it was brilliant cricket. It goes to show how important one, day-night cricket is, [it’s a] great success. Two, how important getting the wickets right are, when you play on wickets where there’s contests, then Test cricket will thrive and grow if we can continue playing Test matches like the last one it’s really exciting cricket, but 9-1 [record] so traditionally Australia are very hard to beat here at the WACA. Id’ rather be in Australia’s shoes than England’s shoes.”
Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo is edging closer to leaving the Etihad Stadium to join Barcelona this summer, with a new update dropping in the last 24 hours.
What's happening with Joao Cancelo and Barcelona?
Taking to X, Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has issued an update surrounding Cancelo's future amid interest from Barcelona in his services, stating to his following on the social media outlet:
"Understand Barça and Man City are now discussing final details of João Cancelo deal! Not sealed yet but breakthrough expected soon. Cancelo, patiently waiting as he agreed terms with Barça weeks ago and wants the move. Barcelona hope to get it done this upcoming week."
According to 90min, Barcelona are 'confident of finalising' a move for the £250k-a-week ace this week and will take the Portugal international on loan for this campaign, with a £30million option-to-buy clause inserted into his agreement that can be activated next summer.
The report also states that Cancelo had attracted interest from Arsenal and clubs in Saudi Arabia, but his first choice was always to seek first-team involvement at Barcelona under Xavi after becoming 'surplus to requirements' at Manchester City.
Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco has been lined up as a potential replacement for Cancelo by Pep Guardiola and has a £10 million release clause that Manchester City are willing to pay, as per The Sun.
Brighton & Hove Albion are also keen on the Argentinian youngster, who the Blues would be willing to loan back to his current employers until January.
Last season, Cancelo spent the second half of proceedings out on loan at Bayern Munich, but the German giants elected not to activate his €70 million buyout clause, as per Romano.
Is it a mistake to sell Cancelo?
Despite his obvious talent, it became clear earlier this year that Manchester City boss Guardiola and Cancelo may have been on divergent paths due to a rift surrounding the 29-year-old's game time that eventually resulted in his loan move to Bayern Munich, as per The Guardian.
Guardiola felt that Cancelo had to leave the club on loan after being unwilling to accept a reduced role in the Spaniard's plans amid Nathan Ake's rise to prominence in the left-back position.
In his short stint in Germany, Cancelo made 21 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich, registering one goal and six assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.
Labelled as "outstanding" by former Manchester City man Paul Dickov back in 2021, Cancelo impressed in the Bundesliga with his ability to glide by his opposite number, completing 2.3 dribbles per match, as per WhoScored.
According to FBRef, Cancelo has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions regarding progressive carries, averaging around 4.63 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 97th percentile for this metric.
Manchester City manager Guardiola will be well aware of Cancelo's desire to play regular first-team football and won't be willing to sacrifice dressing room harmony to appease any individual, meaning a loan move to Barcelona looks like the best possible solution for both parties before the close of play in the market.
Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker in the squad
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2017The New Zealand pace attack that inflicted an innings defeat on West Indies in the first Test in Wellington will be boosted further by the return of Tim Southee for the second Test in Hamilton. Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker, who did not find a place in the XI in Wellington. Southee is expected to join the squad on Wednesday in Hamilton for the Test starting Saturday.Squad for secont Test
Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner
Worker and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson were released from the squad to play the Ford Trophy – New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition – for the matches scheduled on Wednesday.Ferguson, however, will join the Test squad back in time for the second Test. New Zealand will continue to miss the services of the injured wicketkeeper BJ Watling, but his replacement Tom Blundell scored an unbeaten century on debut to help the hosts build a massive first-innings lead.New Zealand played three quicks in the first Test – Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner – and all contributed with wickets in both innings. While Boult picked four wickets in the match and Henry collected three, Wagner finished with career-best 7 for 39 in the first innings before picking another two in the second innings. They also had the medium-pace services of Colin de Grandhomme and played Mitchell Santner as the specialist spinner.
Sunderland were hit with the cruellest of blows when Ross Stewart suffered an Achilles tendon injury in January but with the 27-year-old out of action till the end of September, Tony Mowbray is in the market for a new forward and news has emerged that they're interested in signing a highly-rated Premier League striker.
Sunderland transfer news – What's the latest?
According to journalist Alan Nixon this week, Everton striker Tom Cannon is wanted by a whole host of clubs across the continent after impressing on loan at Preston North End last season.
From January onwards, the 20-year-old sharpshooter returned eight goals in 20 Championship appearances and this has alerted Serie A club Sampdoria with Championship sides Sunderland and Stoke also throwing their names into the hat.
While Sunderland would be interested in striking a deal, Nixon states the £8m fee that he commands could be the sticking point, potentially ruling out any Championship clubs in their pursuit of the Irishman.
With Everton giving Cannon the green light to go out on loan for another season, his destination is looking like Preston as reported by Chronicle Live, however, if Sunderland were willing to stump up the £8m fee, he could be heading to the North East instead.
How good is Tom Cannon?
Making an instant impact at Championship level, the Republic of Ireland youth striker drew praise from several opposition managers and pundits during his spell at Deepdale with Liam Rosenior waxing lyrical about the youngster following Hull's 0-0 draw at Preston.
“I thought Tom Cannon was outstanding, one of the best we've played against by far".
Meanwhile, former West Ham striker and EFL pundit, Dean Ashton, directed lofty praise towards Cannon after he scored his sixth goal in as many games against Reading in April.
“Yeah, almost a one-in-two man, which at Championship level is incredible for such a young player – with such little experience,” said Ashton, as quoted by Lancs Live.
While praise can sometimes be thrown around at will, Cannon's goal-scoring exploits certainly warranted every positive word that was said about his loan spell, and he isn't the first loan player to showcase their talents in the second tier.
Sunderland have a habit of signing phenomenal youngsters on loan and in the first half of last season, they captured striker Ellis Simms, also from Everton, who was recalled by the Toffees in January following his impressive performances.
The 22-year-old accrued seven goals in 13 starts for the Black Cats and despite producing similar numbers to his fellow loanee, Cannon actually excels when comparing a variety of stats across their respective loan spells.
According to FBref, Cannon ranks higher than Simms for successful shots on target (1.13/0.80), successful take-ons (1.24/0.48), carries into the penalty area (1.13/0.64) and tackles in the attacking third (0.38/0.08).
While Simms has a marginally better non-penalty goal record of (0.43/0.56) and expected assists (0.13/0.17), Cannon's all-round game, including his pressing numbers, ability to commit defenders and passing range are all significantly better than Simms.
Despite being two years younger, Everton's young prodigy is already becoming a complete forward and those attributes will only become more refined if he departs Finch Farm and spends another season in the Championship.
With Everton's fine prospect ready to explode into life once more, Sunderland know that if they were to strike a deal, Cannon would be ready to show the Black Cats faithful that he's an even bigger talent than their former fan-favourite.
An official announcement from SLC is likely on Monday, with the former Sri Lanka batsman taking on the role leading up to the 2019 World Cup
Madushka Balasuriya 04-Nov-20170:42
SL batsmen can learn plenty from Samaraweera – Arnold
Former Test batsman Thilan Samaraweera will be Sri Lanka’s batting coach leading up to the 2019 World Cup, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has confirmed.The move is expected to be rubber-stamped on Monday, when Samaraweera arrives on the island from Melbourne, where he lives. The following day he will travel with the team to India, where they are set to play three Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. Samaraweera will have his work cut out on the tour, in shoring up a batting unit low on confidence.While the role of batting coach is officially a first for the 41-year-old former middle-order batsman, he has previously had stints as a batting consultant with other national outfits – with Bangladesh since September last year, and a brief stint with Australia prior to that. He replaces Hashan Tillakaratne, who had taken up the role on a temporary basis in July ahead of India’s visit to Sri Lanka. Tillakaratne will now go back to his role as batting coach of Sri Lanka’s developmental squads.A veteran of 81 Tests, in which he scored 5462 runs at 48.76, Samaraweera retired from international cricket in 2013.
Burnley have reportedly made a breakthrough and reached an agreement to make their 11th signing of the summer transfer window.
What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?
Vincent Kompany is currently preparing for the Premier League opener against treble winners Manchester City at Turf Moor. However, the Clarets are working hard behind the scenes in the transfer market, with a total of 10 new players already secured with weeks remaining of the window.
Zeki Amdouni, James Trafford, Jordan Beyer, Dara O'Shea, Michael Obafemi, Luca Koleosho, Sander Berge, Nathan Redmond, Lawrence Vigouroux and Jacob Bruun Larsen have all arrived, with Berge the latest addition from rivals Sheffield United.
A move for the Norway midfielder was confirmed on Wednesday evening, with Berge saying:
“I have heard a lot of good things about the Club and seeing the success from outside last season, there’s a great project building here. It’s a great environment full of young talented players from all around the world, so I just think it’s the perfect fit for me.
“The club has high ambitions, making several signings and it all just fits into what I’m looking for.”
Shortly after a move for Berge was confirmed, there were reports of Burnley closing in on another signing in Aston Villa’s Aaron Ramsey.
Reliable reporter David Ornstein took to X to reveal that a verbal agreement has been reached in a deal worth around £14m plus add-ons, with Villa also including a buyback clause.
“Burnley reach verbal agreement with Aston Villa for Aaron Ramsey. Working to finalise deal £14m + add-ons + buyback. Personal terms in place, medical being scheduled.”
Former Middlesbrough loanee Aaron Ramsey.
Who is Aaron Ramsey?
Ramsey is just 20 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also turn out in a deeper central midfield role if needed.
An England youth international, the player has progressed the Villa Park academy and his older brother, Jacob, has become a regular in the first team.
Ramsey has been sent out on three different loan moves during his career so far, the first of which came with League One side Cheltenham Town. He made 15 appearances for Cheltenham and spent the previous campaign in the Championship with both Norwich City and Middlesbrough.
In total, Ramsey scored eight times in 29 second-tier appearances last season and came in for praise from former Canaries boss Dean Smith, who said:
“I thought AJ [Ramsey] was excellent in the ten position today. Some of his movement and his flicks and his vision was excellent.
“It’s important we get goals from all across the pitch. Ramsey is starting to get to grips with life in the Championship and has settled in really well, which I would expect because he’s such a good, lovely lad.
"He understands the game, he’s a clever footballer, especially today, you could see that in the first half."
It looks as if his next move will be a permanent one to Turf Moor, and should he go on to develop under Kompany, Burnley may view a transfer as a shrewd piece of business, although Villa will have the option to bring the player back to the Midlands in the future.