Aston Villa

Aston Villa announced Friday it has agreed to acquire midfielder Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

"The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy, and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours," the club wrote in a statement.

Coutinho joined Barca in January 2018 from Liverpool in a $192 million transfer and previously spent the 2019-20 term on loan at Bayern Munich.

The 29-year-old Brazilian international fell out of favor at Camp Nou with 11 of his 16 appearances this season coming as a substitute. He'd drawn just one start since new manager Xavi, a club legend, took over in early November after the firing of Ronald Koeman.

ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens reported five Premier League clubs reached out to Barcelona about the former Liverpool star, and it was the presence of his previous Reds teammate Steven Gerrard as the Villa head coach that shifted the race in Villa's favor.

His desire to earn a spot on Brazil's 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup roster also played a role in his desire to leave Barca for more consistent playing time, per Marsden and Llorens.

Coutinho, who started his career in European football at Inter Milan in 2008, enjoyed a strong campaign on loan at Bayern two years ago. He recorded 11 goals and nine assists across 34 appearances between the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League.

He played just 14 matches upon his return to Barcelona last term before suffering a season-ending knee injury, and he wasn't able to regain his place in the starting XI to open the current campaign.

Coutinho tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 30, but Villa's statement suggested his arrival to the club won't be delayed significantly.

Once back up to full speed, he should take on a key role in Villa's attack as they look to remain comfortably clear of the relegation fight.

They own a 7-1-11 record (22 points), which puts them 11 points clear of the bottom three heading into the season's second half and 12 points back of West Ham United for a spot in the Europa League next season, though a run up the table would require jumping over several clubs.

Villa's next two matches are both against Manchester United, first in the FA Cup on Monday and then in Premier League play on Jan. 15. There was no indication in Villa's announcement of whether Coutinho will be cleared to play in either of those fixtures or if his debut will have to wait a little longer.

Aston Villa sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch has said Premier League clubs are in favour of scrapping relegation in 2019-20 after the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pitarch told Cope's Game Time (h/t Ollie Lewis for MailOnline) that if the decision is made to cancel the season then no teams should drop down to the Championship.

"At Aston Villa we are beginning to think about this. If the peak of the Coronavirus is to occur in May, no one thinks of a competition in which players, coaches, and health personnel of the club will continue to appear every day.

"There are clubs that do not see admissible that the competition resumes on June 30th. The most reasonable thing that everyone thinks is that, if the league has to be stopped, that there are no relegations.

"There is a certain unanimity that there should be no descent. The biggest discussion is on whether to determine the European positions, to take as a reference the previous season or as it stands this season."

The Premier League has been halted until April 3 at the least because of the coronavirus outbreak, but it seems likely the shutdown will continue, leading to doubt over whether the season can be completed.

FA chief Greg Clarke has reportedly told Premier League clubs the current campaign "cannot be finished" because the virus is not due to peak until June, according to The Times (h/t Carrie Dunn at Eurosport).

West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady, wrote in The Sun the season should be declared "null and void" if fixtures cannot be completed.

Brady subsequently took to Twitter to clarify her comments after coming in for criticism:

My point was safety of fans, players, staff come 1st & if the remaining games just cannot be played the only fair & reasonable thing is to declare season null and void. Who knows who would have gone down or come up if the PL/EFL games have not actually been played in full? 2/2 https://t.co/JTQukQv30Y

— Baroness Karren Brady CBE (@karren_brady) March 15, 2020

Aston Villa have battled relegation in 2019-20 and are currently in the bottom three along with Norwich City and Bournemouth. However, the Villans have played one game less than their relegation rivals and victory in that match would take them out of the drop zone.

The Premier League are due to hold a meeting on Thursday with clubs to discuss how best to proceed, per Sky Sports.

Continuing to play games in the Premier League amid the outbreak of the coronavirus was a decision that left Pepe Reina baffled.

Reina, who has been tending goal for relegation-threatened Aston Villa while on loan from AC Milan this season, told Marca (h/t MailOnline's Kieran Jackson): "It was crazy to keep playing. We must all take this seriously. The other countries most affected have already taken their radical measures and we have to go down that path. England cannot close its eyes and look the other way. Life and the health of all is much more important than any sport."

Other players have echoed similar sentiments. Among them, West Ham United centre-back Angelo Ogbonna accused the league of wanting to "ignore" the dangers of the disease, per the Guardian.

Reina and Ogbonna's condemnations come on the heels of officials in England's top flight deciding to take action. The league suspended play on Friday, with the stoppage set to last until at least April 3.

Halting the season came when a meeting was called after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta had been tested positive for Covid-19. The government has since reported to be considering placing a ban on mass gatherings, per the Times (h/t Jason Collie of the London Evening Standard).

Football matches across Europe were already either being suspended or played behind closed doors. The measures taken by the Premier League came after La Liga, the Eredivisie and Major League Soccer had already taken the decision to stop playing.

Meanwhile, Serie A had been called off as part of the Italian government postponing all sport nationwide. The top two divisions in both France and Germany have followed suit by calling off fixtures, per BBC Sport.

Aside from wondering why it took longer for the Premier League to act, Reina has also questioned some of the other decisions being taken across England. He identified schools still being open as a "big problem."

The 37-year-old was between the sticks for Villa's last game before the suspension, a 4-0 defeat away to Leicester City. His struggles at the King Power Stadium marked the sixth time Reina had started a game for Villa since making his return to the division during the January transfer window, although he's conceded 13 goals in the process.

He won the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup during nine years with Liverpool, but Reina and Villa are now facing the prospect of relegation. Losing to the Foxes left Dean Smith's players two points adrift of safety, although they have played a game less than their nearest rivals.

While beating the drop was the focus on the pitch, Reina has said health must be the priority over the entertainment value of sport.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has said he's unsure if Jack Grealish will remain at the club, with Manchester United reportedly interested in the midfielder. 

Grealish is set to captain Villa against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, but Smith has hinted his star player might leave in the summer.

According to James Nursey of the Mirror, the Villa boss was asked in his pre-match press conference whether winning the EFL Cup would keep Grealish at Villa Park, and the coach replied: "I don't know. That is a question we will have to answer in the summer."

The 24-year-old made his debut for his boyhood club in 2012, and the versatile forward has impressed since Villa's promotion last season.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News reported United are keen to swiftly complete a swoop for the player, with Grealish's contract thought to contain a £45 million release clause.

Smith explained retaining Grealish might depend on Villa's ability to avoid relegation back to the EFL Championship, per Nursey:

"Obviously staying in this league is probably one of the biggest things that will help us to keep Jack Grealish. He wants to play at the highest level and win trophies.

"We have to work hard on Sunday to try and win that trophy. Winning a trophy, well, you can say we have just won one.

"But Jack's future like all the rest of the players is down to what happens over the next three months. What we can do is assess it then."

Grealish was a highly rated talent outside of the top division, but he's proved this term his ceiling is much higher than previously anticipated.

The Sun's Paul Jiggins reported Tottenham Hotspur nearly completed a £6 million deal for Grealish just 18 months ago, but Spurs attempted to drive down the price, leading to the player remaining with his team. United are reportedly prepared to splash out £80 million to bring the winger to Manchester.

Grealish put on a masterclass during Villa's league visit to Old Trafford on December 1. The skipper netted a world-class strike to stun Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men. The game ended 2-2, but Grealish's curling effort at Stretford End will be remembered as one of the goals of the season.

United's priority remains earning a place in next season's UEFA Champions League, and if they achieve this objective, tempting Grealish might be much easier.

Grealish recently told Sky Sports his goal at United was the favourite of his career and revealed Old Trafford is "obviously my favourite ground in the Premier League" (h/t Metro).

The forward will be his side's biggest threat in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, and if Grealish can win the trophy for his team, his growing reputation will take yet another leap forward.

Aston Villa have announced that goalkeeper Pepe Reina has joined the club on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season:

✍️ @PReina25 #BienvenidoPepe #AVFC pic.twitter.com/gSNyd5syNf

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 13, 2020

The Premier League side were in need of goalkeeping reinforcements after seeing first choice Tom Heaton ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury at the start of 2020.

Reina is a vastly experienced goalkeeper who has played for some of Europe's top clubs during his career including Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Smith praised Reina's experience and leadership qualities after securing the signature of the 37-year-old, per the club's official website.

"We've managed to secure a player in Pepe who has a wealth of Premier League experience. At the start of the summer we were looking for an experienced goalkeeper and brought in Tom Heaton. Unfortunately, his injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season but Pepe fits our criteria not just because of his experience but also because of his leadership qualities."

Reina knows the Premier League well from his time at Liverpool. He spent almost a decade at Anfield, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Super Cup with the Reds:

BREAKING: Pepe Reina returns to the Premier League with Aston Villa on loan from AC Milan pic.twitter.com/6TYce4oyIt

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 13, 2020

The goalkeeper also brings with him a wealth of international experience. He won 36 caps for Spain and was part of the squad that claimed victory at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Reina has also won titles at Bayern and Napoli but faces a different test at Villa Park, with Smith's side battling to avoid relegation back to the Championship. 

Aston Villa are currently in 18th place in the Premier League table and have conceded 43 goals in 22 games; only bottom side Norwich City have a worse defensive record in 2019-20.

Reina has spoken about the challenge facing him at Villa Park:

Watch @PReina25’s first interview as an Aston Villa player, exclusively on VillaTV now! 👊#BienvenidoPepe #AVFC

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 13, 2020

The goalkeeper's signing will provide a boost to a club who were hammered 6-1 by reigning champions Manchester City last time out and have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions.

Reina is likely to make his debut on Saturday when Villa take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at the Amex Stadium.

Chelsea have loaned midfielder Danny Drinkwater to Aston Villa for the remainder of the season.

Villa announced the news via their official Twitter account on Tuesday:

Danny Drinkwater has joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season! 🙌#AVFC @eToro

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 7, 2020

Drinkwater spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Burnley, but he made just two appearances for the club in all competitions.

The 29-year-old had played just once for the Clarets, against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup on August 28, before he suffered an ankle injury in September when he was attacked by six men outside a Manchester nightclub. 

He only made one more appearance for Burnley, when he played 59 minutes in their 4-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester City on December 3.

Chelsea signed Drinkwater for £35 million in 2017, a year after he had played an important role in Leicester City's sensational Premier League title win.

The Englishman had partnered N'Golo Kante—who also moved to Stamford Bridge—in midfield for the Foxes and developed great chemistry with striker Jamie Vardy, whose runs he excelled in anticipating.

He failed to find his feet with the Blues, though. Drinkwater made 22 appearances under Antonio Conte in his first season at the club that was hampered by calf injuries at both ends of the campaign.

Last season, he only got on the pitch once under Maurizio Sarri: a 30-minute cameo in the Community Shield.

Football writer Daniel Storey and BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty observed his need to revive his Premier League career:

Danny Drinkwater has earned £77,000 for every Premier League minute played over the last two years. Really, really needs to get back on track.

— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) January 7, 2020

As per @Matt_Law_DT - Danny Drinkwater at @AVFCOfficial training HQ to undergo medical & sign on loan for the rest of the season. Big chance for him at a big club. Won't get a better one to try & revive his career.

— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) January 7, 2020

According to the Telegraph's Matt Law, Villa will not be covering the entirety of his wages, which total £110,000 per week.

The West Midlands outfit sit 17th in the Premier League after 21 matches, one point clear of Bournemouth in the drop zone, and they'll hope Drinkwater can help keep them up.

The midfielder's contract with Chelsea expires at the end of the season. Nothing will salvage a future for him at Stamford Bridge, but this is his last opportunity to keep alive his top-flight career.

Keeping Villa in the division could earn him a permanent move there in the summer, but if he fails to impress it's unlikely to convince them or another Premier League side to take a risk on him.

Aston Villa have returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2016, beating Derby County 2-1 in the Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

Goals from Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn sealed Villa's route back to the English top flight, while Martyn Waghorn got one back for Derby late on after getting a faint touch on Jack Marriott's shot.

Villa weren't afraid to go long early against a Derby side more comfortable keeping the ball on the deck. The direct approach soon paid dividends as confusion was obvious in the Rams defence:

Carnage in the Derby box inside the first five minutes at Wembley 🤦‍♂️

📺 Watch the @SkyBetChamp play-off final live on Sky Sports Football or follow here: https://t.co/iVFr84lxFn pic.twitter.com/jB7HbkfJkQ

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 27, 2019

Unfortunately, further goal-mouth incidents were in short supply during a slow first half. The cautious fare was difficult to take given the number of creative talents on the pitch.

Eventually, the technicians on both sides began to exert themselves:

Game opening up a bit after tight 1/2 hour with Grealish & El Ghazi for Villa making inroads. Mount & Wilson beginning to link up for Derby.

— richard foster (@rcfoster) May 27, 2019

It made sense for Villa to keep the ball in the air considering their quality and threat from the flanks. Both El Ghazi and Ahmed Elmohamady were keeping Derby on the back foot with direct running and early crosses.

Fittingly, those two players combined for the opener a minute before the break when El Ghazi headed in a cross from the former Hull City man Elmohamady.

Breakthrough 👊

El Ghazi gets in at the back post to head @AVFCOfficial ahead just before half time

📺 Watch the @SkyBetChamp play-off final live on Sky Sports Football or follow here: https://t.co/iVFr84lxFn pic.twitter.com/WRwjN1cX2N

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 27, 2019

Aston Villa take the lead just before the break! El Ghazi heads Villa in front! pic.twitter.com/HpWd5I8vAV

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 27, 2019

The goal was just reward for a player who had been enterprising and industrious during the opening 45 minutes.

The only goal ✅
Half of the dribbles in the entire game (3) ✅
The only man booked ✅

Fair to say Anwar El Ghazi was the busiest player of a tense first halfhttps://t.co/ooXzmfX2Vp rating - 7.45

Match centre -- https://t.co/Maus7eYNog #PlayOffFinal #AVLDER pic.twitter.com/UlzKG1lzqJ

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) May 27, 2019

El Ghazi and Villa continued to overpower Derby after the restart. On-loan Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham routinely unleashed pace and strength as he led the line brilliantly and ran the Rams ragged.

Derby also remained stretched out wide where El Ghazi was proving particularly difficult to handle. The 24-year-old was central to Villa's second goal when he cut in from the left and unleashed a shot which took a wicked deflection.

Goalkeeper Kelle Roos misjudged the flight of the ball and was beaten to it by McGinn. The ex-Hibernian midfielder got enough purchase on his header to punish Roos' indecision.

McGinn took the plaudits, but it was El Ghazi's wizardry that made the goal.

Anwar El Ghazi is doing impressions of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.😅

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) May 27, 2019

Derby naturally became increasingly desperate at two down and poured more and more players forward. Marriott was proving the biggest threat, dragging a shot inches wide before another drive aimed for the bottom corner took the slightest of touches off Waghorn to give Derby hope.

It was as close as Derby got, though, despite having seven minutes of injury time to work with. Many of manager Frank Lampard's skilled match-winners failed to sparkle; on-loan Liverpool winger Harry Wilson made the wrong choice too often in the final third.

By contrast, Dean Smith saw his Villa team play to its strengths superbly. There will be more stylish sides in the Premier League next season, but Villa know how to maximise resources to win matches, a quality sure to boost their bid to stay up.

Paul Mitchell, the Birmingham City fan who invaded the pitch and punched Jack Grealish in the back of the head during Sunday's derby match with Aston Villa, has pleaded guilty to assault and was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail.

ESPN first reported the 27-year-old's plea, with Ella Wills, Jacob Jarvis and James Morris of the Evening Standard reporting the sentence after he admitted to invading the pitch and attacking the midfielder.

Mitchell was consequently banned for life by Birmingham, who apologised to both Grealish and Aston Villa following the incident.

NBC Sports Soccer shared footage of the attack, which occurred in the 10th minute of the game at St. Andrew's (U.S. viewers only):

There were shocking scenes at Birmingham v. Aston Villa today as a pitch invader ran on and punched Aston Villa's Jack Grealish. pic.twitter.com/aIYHcNKJfK

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 10, 2019

Mitchell's defence said his family feared "serious harm or even death" following the incident and did not spend Sunday night in their own home as a result.

The attack was condemned by Gary Neville and his fellow pundits on Sky Sports' Super Sunday and by Alan Shearer on Match of the Day:

🗣 - "As a deterrent for the future, there has to be a huge punishment for @BCFC."@GNev2, Jamie Redknapp and Graeme Souness discuss today's unsavoury incident in the Second City derby where Jack Grealish was attacked by a supporter: https://t.co/raWYDuwXG8 pic.twitter.com/YP3HsYMU3g

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 10, 2019

"Absolutely disgusting."

Alan Shearer has spoken on Sunday's incidents involving spectators. pic.twitter.com/3NvgRIbAIE

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 11, 2019

Grealish was able to continue after the incident and went on to score the decisive goal in the 1-0 win.

A steward appeared to kick out at the Villa captain amid his celebrations with the travelling supporters and was seen being led away by West Midlands police, who confirmed speaking to the steward in question.

No offence relating to that incident was reported to the police, but Birmingham said they are looking into it themselves as "part of a thorough and wide-ranging investigation into the events" that occurred.

A Birmingham City supporter invaded the pitch on Sunday during the team's clash with Aston Villa and aimed a punch at Jack Grealish.

The remarkable incident happened early in the game between the two bitter rivals, with the fan taking a swing at the Villa star from behind.

Here's the moment in question:

There were shocking scenes at Birmingham v. Aston Villa today as a pitch invader ran on and punched Aston Villa's Jack Grealish. pic.twitter.com/aIYHcNKJfK

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 10, 2019

Grealish's face! pic.twitter.com/y7SJjFTJnw

— Alex Young (@alexwsyoung) March 10, 2019

Despite being struck by the fan, Grealish was able to continue and struck the game's only goal in the second half to give Villa the bragging rights in the Second City (video not available in the United States):

You could not write it! 😲

After being punched by a fan in the first half, Jack Grealish opens the scoring for Aston Villa against Birmingham! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/EiBedIL2U1

— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) March 10, 2019

The goal turned out to be the winner and after the game Birmingham released the following statement on their official website apologising to the Villa player:

"We deplore the behaviour of the individual who committed this act and rest assured he will be banned from St. Andrew’s for life. The Club will also support any further punishment this individual may face in the eyes of the law.

"The Club will be working with the relevant authorities to investigate all the circumstances and we will be reviewing our stadium safety procedures.

"What happened has no place in football or society. Jack is a Birmingham lad and regardless of club allegiance should not have been subjected to this—there are no excuses. Again, we apologise to Jack and all at Aston Villa Football Club."

West Midlands Police confirmed they had taken the man into custody:

ARREST: Following the incident on the pitch involving an attack on an Aston Villa player; a man has been arrested and en route to a custody block. Further details to follow. pic.twitter.com/fed9KrHBgl

— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) March 10, 2019

Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday commented on the concerning trend of poor fan behaviour in the British game: 

Spent some of last week thinking fan behaviour was getting out of control in Scotland. Now this happens to Grealish. Maybe we've been getting complacent but this stuff can't be allowed to continue.

— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) March 10, 2019

As Matthew Stanger of Joe noted, the Birmingham supporters were still targeting Grealish with jeers after the incident: 

Miserable that Birmingham fans are actually booing Grealish after that attack

— Matthew Stanger (@MatthewStanger) March 10, 2019

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville thinks serious action needs to be taken against Birmingham: 

https://twitter.com/GNev2/status/1104718744608223232

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling was also critical of the supporter:

Idiot of the year... congrats on your lifetime ban https://t.co/ocr8RBVzWZ

— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 10, 2019

Grealish is Villa's star man, and as someone local to the area, this fixture will be especially important to him. Earlier in the campaign, he starred for his boyhood club in the reverse fixture at Villa Park, netting in a 4-2 win for Dean Smith's team.

Aside from local pride, both sides were seeking to put together a late push for the Championship playoffs. Ahead of the game, Birmingham were five points off sixth spot, with Villa a further two points back.