Aston Villa are said to have honed in on their main left-back target after being dealt a big blow in the midfield. Unai Emery is building his squad for a return to the Champions League, and he has been hit with a major blow with the apparent loss of Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, with the midfielder on his way to Old Trafford.

Tielemans has been a monumental part of Villa’s recent success, but he now moves on, leading Villa to the signing of Switzerland international Johan Manzambi. But Emery has other concerns beyond the midfield, and a new left-back is to be sourced, with Lucas Digne now 32 years of age.

Aston Villa decide on former Unai Emery favourite

According to Fabrizio Romano, Emery has decided to sign his former Villarreal left-back Pervis Estupiñán, who is currently at AC Milan. Romano posted on X: “Pervis Estupiñán, high on Aston Villa three-men short list at left back. He’s already worked with Emery at Villarreal and deal is on with #AVFC, talks ongoing.”

Estupiñán played a key part in Villarreal winning the Europa League under Emery, and he then went on to join Brighton, playing a key role there and earning a big move to AC Milan in 2025. The 28-year-old has made 19 league appearances for Milan, who had a disappointing season of last, missing out on the Champions League, but Estupiñán could yet end up playing in UEFA’s premier competition.

Milan bought Estupiñán for £17million, so it’s likely he would be available for an affordable fee this summer, especially with Milan missing out on the Champions League.

Estupiñán a ‘very smart’ full-back

AC Milan legend Cafu said of Estupiñán prior to his arrival in Italy: “I’ve seen him several times in World Cup qualifiers, and he’s very good. He’s a perfect fit for Milan. His speed, his ability to push forward, and the fact that he’s not afraid to take personal initiative when the team needs it.”

Prior to that, then Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “I must admit that Pervis is one of the most crucial players for us because he started from left-back, but you can find him in a striker position. He’s very smart, he’s one of our secrets I think.”

So much of the 2026 World Cup went so well for Norway. They managed to go further than ever before, making the quater-finals, but that joy turned to misery as they lost to England 2-1 in a very tight game.

Erling Haaland was very much the nation’s main man as he bagged seven goals at the tournament, inclduing one in the Last 32 win over Ivory Coast and an unforgetable brace against Brazil in the Round of 16.

The Manchester City star was unable to find the back of the net against England, however, but was not helped in one moment, when it looked as though teammate Alexander Sorloth could have put him through on goal. The 30-year-old instead looked to shoot and saw the chance come to nothing.

Sorloth has faced plenty of criticism over the incidnet, and US influencer, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul has now weighed in on the debate.

Sorloth Speaks Out on Haaland Incident

Speaking after the game, Sorloth explained why he failed to pass to Haaland. He told the press:

True football fans will understand the sport is a game of fine margins and while Sorloth didn’t quite get things right in the moment, many other players would have made the same mistake. Even so, the reaction on social media has been extreme to say the least.

Things have got so bad, in fact, that his girlfriend, Lena Selnes, has released a statement addressing the hate that her partner has received. She shared a collection of abusive messages and wrote:

“The World Cup and football bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of hate. I don’t really want to give it any attention, but feel the need to after comments like this.

“Hope everyone can think a little extra before making such comments, regardless of the situation.”

Logan Paul Slams Sorloth After Norway Loss

Amid all the fall-out US influencer Paul – who has been closely watching the World Cup this summer – has offered his thoughts on Sorloth. He didn’t exactly show a lot of symphathy, as he blamed Norway’s defeat to England on this one incident, forgetting that football is a team sport made up of many individuals and many moments.

Taking to social media, he wrote:

Paul’s comment went viral on social media, sparking millions of views and over one thousand comments as fans debated the topic.

Norway took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup before Jude Bellingham made it 1-1. The game then went to extra time where Bellingham scored again, finishing from close range after a poor piece of goalkeeping from Orjan Nyland. Soon after, Haaland had to come off as he was dealing with a fitness issue, and could only watch on from the sidelines as his countrymen lost 2-1.

England will now play Argentina in the semi-final, with France taking on Spain on the other side of the draw.

The ‘real reason’ why Brendon McCullum was sacked as England Test match coach has been revealed. The 44-year-old New Zealander was informed of the decision on Saturday, ending his time in charge of the country’s red-ball side after just over four years.

Although he will remain in charge of both England’s One-Day International and T20 teams, McCullum has been axed from the Test helm following a dismal run of form in the longest form of the game.

Ironically, McCullum was originally brought into the England set-up solely as the Test coach, before his initial success in the role saw him offered both white-ball roles.

The End of the ‘Bazball’ Era

His highly aggressive brand of Test cricket, branded ‘Bazball’, was tipped by some to be revolutionary to the format. However, after winning 10 of his first 11 Tests at the start of his reign, England’s policy of seemingly trying to hit every ball to the boundary started to have a negative effect on the team’s results.

This led to a change in philosophy, which saw naturally aggressive players trying to bat in a more responsible way. The England Test side never fully committed to the shift, though, and often looked well out of their depth in what would turn out to be the final year of McCullum’s time in charge.

England have won just two of their last 10 Test matches, a run that included a dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat away in Australia, during a series where McCullum’s men never threatened to be competitive.

However, a new report suggests it was not solely England’s Test results, or the sudden retirement of now former captain Ben Stokes, that led to the ECB’s decision to strip McCullum of his role.

Why McCullum Was Axed as England’s Test Match Coach

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Per the Daily Mail, England cricket chiefs were concerned about McCullum’s inability to find his side’s identity once his early success fell away.

Names such as Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes were instrumental in those early days, but when they were either dropped or retired, McCullum seemed to have no clear plan on how to replace them in the Test set-up.

The numbers back up that statement, with nine of the 41 players in the Bazball era playing no more than one Test. Meanwhile, eight played five or fewer. Of the six who played more than 25, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley were ultimately dropped, while Stokes walked away at the end of the recent series defeat to New Zealand.

Following Stokes’ departure, the England Test side is in need of a major reset, and ultimately, those in power felt that McCullum wasn’t the right man to spearhead a revival.

The England Test team now finds itself without a captain or coach, just a year away from a home Ashes series. Oddsmakers suggest that Andy Flower, who coached England to their most-recent series wins in Australia and India, is the favourite to take up the role once again.

The Zimbabwean is believed to be keen to retain his lucrative job as head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League if he is to become England’s new Test coach. With the IPL operating in its own window in the annual cricket calendar, it is entirely possible that Flower could juggle both jobs.

McCullum, meanwhile, will now focus all of his attention on England’s white-ball efforts, with a 50-over World Cup on the horizon next year.