Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday holding onto their talismanic figure amidst £8m Aston Villa interest would be a shrewd decision
Why Sheffield Wednesday should keep hold of Barry Bannan at all costs
As per a report in Mirror, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is eyeing up a £8m move for Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan. The ex-Brentford gaffer wants to make the Scot his first signing as the Villa boss when the January window opens.
He has identified Bannan as the player to add creativity to the Birmingham-based club’s midfield. The 28-year-old is undoubtedly one of the top targets of the club, and Smith is a huge admirer of the player. (Mirror)
Ever since he took over at Villa Park, the manager has done well to sneak out a positive response from the team. Hence, the club should be backing any transfer-related decision of his in the winter window.
However, Wednesday shouldn’t be interested in dealing with Aston Villa over the possible sale of their best midfielder. Jos Luhukay and his men just cannot afford to lose the Scotsman at any cost. Here’s why:
Barry Bannan – Wednesday’s talisman
After signing for the Owls in 2015, Bannan has become an integral part of the team in the midfield. He gets better with every passing season and is slowly turning into the team’s talisman. The 28-year-old is certainly performing well this season, in a slightly deeper role.
Barry Bannan
And after having penned a new deal in August, the player should be looking to stay committed for a few more seasons. Concurrently, Sheffield Wednesday must ideally be looking to resist any interest from other clubs.
Bannan’s versatility and ability to perform for the team irrespective of the position he is playing in is admirable. He can operate as a defensive midfielder or in a slightly advanced central midfield role. He has netted two goals and supplied one assist along with a key pass rate of 2.1 in 16 league appearances, which is fantastic for a player playing in a deeper position.
His reading of the game and awareness of finding the right pass in tight areas is seriously good. Overall, the 28-year-old is running the midfield for Wednesday, and when he plays well, the Owls generally get a positive result.
Read More: Why Sheffield Wednesday can do themselves a huge favour by securing this talented 20-yr-old’s future
Hence, it is easy to conclude that Jos Luhukay’s men should ward off any interest in Bannan. Instead, they must look forward to playing well and making use of the Scotsman in an enhanced way.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com
Tottenham Hotspur Women welcome Aston Villa Women to Brisbane Road on Sunday, December 7, 2025, in their final home game of the calendar year.
Spurs enter the fixture 5th in the WSL table with 16 points, while Villa sit 8th with 10 points, setting up an important mid-table battle.
Kick-off: 12:00 UK / 14:00 GMT
Venue: Brisbane Road (BetWright Stadium)
Competition: Barclays Women’s Super League – Round 10
Broadcast: Sky Sports+ / WSL YouTube
Form Guide
Tottenham have enjoyed a strong start to the 2025–26 season but come into this match looking to regain momentum. They remain firmly in top-half contention with 16 points from their opening nine league games.
Aston Villa have endured a mixed campaign. With 10 points from eight matches, they sit 8th but have shown competitive performances away from home and remain capable of troubling any side on their day.
Historically, the fixture has been evenly balanced, with six wins each and five draws across all competitive meetings.
Team News
As of December 6, neither club has released an official injury report or confirmed squad list for this fixture.
Aston Villa have also not publicly confirmed any major absences.
Because no official lists are available yet, all lineup information remains predicted rather than confirmed.
Predicted Lineups
Tottenham Women (4-2-3-1):
Kop; Nildén, Hunt, Bartrip, Morris; Summanen, Ahtinen; Holdt, Spence, Naz; Thomas
Aston Villa Women (4-2-3-1):
D’Angelo; Maritz, Patten, Turner, Pacheco; Staniforth, Nobbs; Hanson, Dali, Daly; Lehmann
Match Outlook
With both sides looking to close out the year positively, this fixture has the makings of a tight and competitive meeting.
Tottenham’s strong home form and stable core squad could give them the edge. Aston Villa, however, have proven difficult to break down on the road and have the attacking quality to make this a challenging afternoon.
A narrow Spurs victory or a tense draw appears the most likely outcome.
Also read: Arsenal Women vs. Liverpool Women: Predicted Lineups + Match Preview
Arsenal face their toughest test of the season as they travel to Villa Park, where Aston Villa have been nearly impenetrable. The Gunners hold a six-point advantage over third-placed Villa, but their defensive injury crisis threatens to derail their title momentum.
Kick-off: 12:30 GMT, Saturday, December 6, 2025
Venue: Villa Park
Referee: Michael Oliver
TV: TNT Sports 1
Form Guide
Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in this exact fixture last season, with goals from Trossard and Thomas Partey settling matters at Villa Park. However, Villa dealt a seismic blow to Arsenal’s title bid with a 2-0 away victory in mid-April 2024, helping Manchester City to win the league. A 2-2 draw at the Emirates last January again stunted Arsenal’s championship pursuit.
Villa have been in exceptional form, winning seven of their last eight games across all competitions. They showed character in midweek to claim a 4-3 win over Brighton, despite trailing 2-0 after half an hour. Ollie Watkins enjoyed a welcome return to form, netting twice in the first half. At home, Villa have won five of their seven fixtures this season and are unbeaten in their last 25 Premier League home games.
Arsenal maintained their five-point lead at the top with a 2-0 win over Brentford in midweek. Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions. However, the match came at a cost with injuries to Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera.
Team News
Arsenal’s defensive crisis has reached alarming levels. Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a thigh problem while representing Brazil during the November international break and could be missing for up to two months. William Saliba has missed the last two matches after suffering a knock in training, though Arteta confirmed it should be “a matter of days” before his return.
Cristhian Mosquera was forced off before half-time against Brentford with an ankle injury and is set to miss 6 to 8 weeks of football. Declan Rice also limped off late on with a calf issue, though the midfielder told Sky Sports he is “fine” and expects to be available. Leandro Trossard could return from a muscle injury, with Arteta confirming he should be back within “a matter of days.” Kai Havertz remains weeks away from returning after knee surgery complications.
For Villa, Emiliano Martinez is a major doubt with a back injury that kept him out against Brighton. The Argentine was forced to withdraw from the lineup after experiencing pain during the warm-up. Ross Barkley is ruled out for 8-12 weeks with a knee injury suffered against Wolves. Tyrone Mings remains sidelined with a thigh injury and won’t be available until late December at the earliest.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Buendia, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Timber, Hincapié, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
Read More: Arsenal Player Ratings vs Brentford: Gunners Restore Five-Point Lead With 2-0 Win
Aston Villa
(Photos) Aston Villa Women Players Meet Adorable Namesakes During Heartwarming Birmingham Dogs Home Visit
Aston Villa Women’s players received an unexpected surprise at training last week when six Staffordshire Bull Terrier-cross puppies visited Bodymoor Heath, each named after members of the squad following their rescue from heartbreaking circumstances in mid-October.
The six female puppies were discovered abandoned in a bin in Aston by a local resident, prompting Birmingham Dogs Home to take them in. The charity decided to name them Daly, Ellie, Stan, Océane, Kirsty and Gabi in honour of Villa players Rachel Daly, Ellie Roebuck, Lucy Staniforth, Océane Deslandes, Kirsty Hanson and Gabi Nunes.
Emotional Meeting at Bodymoor Heath
Goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, who shares her name with one of the puppies, described the surprise visit as incredibly emotional. She praised Birmingham Dogs Home’s exceptional care and revealed plans to visit the centre soon to spend time with more dogs, encouraging supporters to back the charity’s work.
The England international admitted seeing how safe and content the puppies now appeared, knowing what they had endured, lifted the entire squad’s spirits during the training session.
Adoption Plans and Future Partnership
Kirsty Hanson expressed hope on Instagram that the puppies would find loving homes they deserve, thanking them for the visit. Birmingham Dogs Home responded positively, confirming the puppies were completing meet-and-greets with potential adopters and expected to move into new homes within the week.
The puppies will be ready for adoption once fully weaned, vaccinated and healthy. Aston Villa and Birmingham Dogs Home are planning to collaborate further during the Christmas period, building on this initial partnership.
Birmingham Dogs Home, founded in 1891, operates without government funding while caring for over 2,000 dogs annually. The charity provides 24-hour care for stray, abandoned and unwanted dogs across the West Midlands region.
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