Aston Villa
Aston Villa signing this 25-year-old Ligue 1 star would help fill John McGinn’s void
Why Aston Villa should complete a move for Adrien Tameze in January
According to the Daily Telegraph (h/t Birmingham Live), Aston Villa has been linked with a move for midfielder Adrien Tameze, who currently plies his trade with OGC Nice in Ligue 1.
The Lions are on the lookout for a new central midfielder following John McGinn’s ankle fracture in the 3-1 defeat to Southampton last weekend and manager Dean Smith has identified Tameze as a potential option to replace the influential Scotsman in the second half of the season. (Telegraph h/t Birmingham Live)
McGinn, who started each of Villa’s first 18 games in the Premier League this season and chipped in with 3 goals and 2 assists, has been one of the standout performers at Villa Park this term. The news of his absence in the coming months comes as a massive blow to the club’s hopes of survival in the top-flight.
Villa will need to fend off interest from Premier League rivals Burnley and Southampton in their pursuit of the 25-year-old Ligue 1 star, who could be sanctioned a loan departure by Nice manager Patrick Vieira when the transfer window reopens in January. (Telegraph h/t Birmingham Live)
Born in France to parents of Cameroonian descent, Adrien Tameze rose through the youth ranks of Nancy and made a name for himself at Valenciennes in the second-tier before earning a move to the top-flight with Nice back in 2017.
The 25-year-old central midfielder, who previously featured for France at U17 and U18 levels, has clocked up 85 appearances for Nice across all competitions, scoring twice and laying on a further six assists in the process.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa failed to build on their 1-0 Boxing Day victory over relegation rivals Norwich City as the Lions collapsed to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Watford this weekend.
Villa currently sit 18th in the standings in the relegation zone, just a point adrift of West Ham, although the Hammers have a game in hand to widen the gap.
Well, if avoiding relegation wasn’t going to be tough anyways for Villa, it’s certainly going to be a lot harder for Smith’s side now, given that McGinn is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign due to his ankle fracture.
McGinn was one of the key cogs in Villa’s wheel during their promotion-winning campaign in the Championship last term and the Scottish international’s seamless transition to the Premier League this season, coupled with his well-rounded qualities at both ends of the pitch, provided that much-needed dynamism and X-Factor to the club’s midfield cavalry.
However, with McGinn now out of the mix, Villa will need to beef up their options in the middle of the park when the transfer window reopens in January. A back-up to Wesley Moraes in front of goal remains a top priority for the club but a replacement for the influential midfielder could also be on Smith’s agenda.
Jack Grealish continues to be an indispensable component of the club’s creative force, and notwithstanding the fact that the likes of Marvelous Nakamba, Douglas Luiz and Conor Hourihane have all done a decent job, a replacement for McGinn is quite understandably a necessity.
To put things into perspective, Adrien Tameze doesn’t seem to have the creativity in his game to fill in the shoes of McGinn but the Frenchman could still be a handy acquisition on loan for Villa in January.
Verdict
As per whoscored, Tameze boasts of a pass success rate of 86.3, including 0.9 key passes, 8.0 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1 long ball per game in Ligue 1 this term, figures which are nowhere near McGinn’s average of 1.5 key passes, 2.5 tackles, 0.6 crosses and 3.5 long balls per game in the Premier League.
To that end, however, central midfield is one area where a lot of depth will be required in the second half of the campaign, with fixtures set to come thick and fast in the coming months. Hence, a loan deal for Tameze would make sure that Villa have enough depth in their ranks to cope with such challenges.
Bringing in an ideal like-for-like replacement for McGinn in January would cost the club a fortune and with reinforcements further up the pitch also a necessity, the Villans could risk falling foul of the FFP regulations, having already forked out millions of pounds in the summer.
The Frenchman is neither anywhere near McGinn’s quality nor does he have the CV to come through the door as an upgrade on Villa’s regular midfield options, but Tameze’s industry and work-rate in the middle of the park could prove to be an asset to the Villans.
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Having said that, Aston Villa completing a loan deal for Adrien Tameze in January could be a decent piece of business if not an overwhelming one.
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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