Aston Villa have completed the signing of England striker Tammy Abraham in an £18.25m move from Besiktas, marking a high-profile and emotionally charged return to a club that played a defining role in his career.

The 28-year-old has agreed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League title challengers, bringing him back to English football for the first time since his departure to Roma in 2021. Abraham arrives with a strong sense of unfinished business and renewed ambition as Villa continue to build depth and quality for the second half of the season.

Abraham had been on loan at Besiktas from Roma, but the Turkish club activated their £11m buy option earlier this week. Villa will now pay Besiktas a fee of 21m euros (£18.25m) to secure the striker’s services, concluding a deal that has been in the works for several weeks.

Villa head coach Unai Emery has been keen to add attacking reinforcement to support leading scorer Ollie Watkins, and Abraham has long been admired by the Spaniard. The striker previously enjoyed a prolific loan spell at Villa during the 2018-19 season, scoring 26 goals in 40 appearances and playing a central role in the club’s promotion to the Premier League from the Championship.

Speaking after completing the move, Abraham reflected on his connection to the club and the significance of his return.
“Some clubs play a big part in your journey and stay with you,” he said. “I’ve scored goals, faced challenges, and grown as a player and as a man. I’m back at Aston Villa, ready to work and give everything.”

As part of the agreement, teenage Villa midfielder Yasin Özcan, who has been on loan at Anderlecht this season, will move in the opposite direction to join Besiktas. The deal underlines the strong working relationship between the two clubs and Villa’s willingness to invest in both the present and the future.

Villa’s determination to secure Abraham was highlighted by the involvement of Roberto Olabe, the club’s president of football operations, who travelled to Turkey last week to watch the striker in action as Besiktas edged Kayserispor 1-0. His performance further reinforced Villa’s belief that Abraham can make an immediate impact.

The forward could make his second Villa debut against Brentford on Sunday, offering Emery another powerful attacking option. However, he has not been registered in time to feature in Thursday’s Europa League fixture against Red Bull Salzburg.

In further positive news for Villa supporters, former midfielder Douglas Luiz is set to return to the club on loan. The 27-year-old Brazilian, currently at Nottingham Forest on loan from Juventus, is expected to leave the City Ground before Monday’s transfer deadline, potentially adding experience and familiarity to Emery’s squad.

Matheus Cunha produced a moment of high drama at the Emirates Stadium, scoring a stunning late winner to propel Manchester United to a memorable 3–2 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal in a pulsating five-goal encounter.

The result marked Arsenal’s first home defeat of the season and tightened the title race significantly, especially after earlier victories for Manchester City and Aston Villa. While the Gunners remain top of the table, their advantage has now been cut to four points, adding fresh intrigue to the championship run-in.

Arsenal began the contest with authority and looked in control during the opening exchanges. Their pressure told in the 29th minute when United defender Lisandro Martínez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving the hosts a deserved lead and igniting the home crowd.

However, Manchester United showed resilience and composure to find a route back into the match. A loose pass from Martin Zubimendi proved costly for Arsenal, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to race through on goal. The United forward kept his nerve, rounding goalkeeper David Raya before calmly slotting into the empty net to restore parity.

The visitors carried that momentum into the second half and stunned Arsenal just five minutes after the restart. Patrick Dorgu produced a moment of quality, unleashing a powerful strike that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and into the net, giving United a surprise lead and silencing the Emirates.

In response, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a bold quadruple substitution in search of inspiration, introducing Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze, Mikel Merino and Ben White. The changes appeared to pay off when Merino forced the ball home from a corner in the 84th minute, raising hopes of a late comeback and at least a share of the spoils.

Yet Manchester United had the final say. Just three minutes later, substitute Matheus Cunha collected a pass from Kobbie Mainoo and produced a moment of individual brilliance, curling an exquisite 25-yard strike into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic victory.

Amine Adli delivered a moment Bournemouth supporters will treasure for years, scoring a stoppage-time winner to seal a thrilling Premier League victory over Liverpool and end the visitors’ 13-match unbeaten run at a rain-soaked Vitality Stadium.

In a pulsating contest that swung repeatedly, Adli reacted quickest to a goalmouth scramble in the fifth minute of added time, sending the home crowd into raptures just when it seemed Liverpool’s resilience might earn them a point. The goal crowned a performance full of belief and bravery from Andoni Iraola’s side, who refused to settle for a draw even after being pegged back from a two-goal lead.

Liverpool had shown their trademark fighting spirit to recover late on. With 10 minutes remaining, Dominik Szoboszlai struck his second free-kick of the week to make it 2-2, after Virgil van Dijk had earlier headed them back into contention. Yet Bournemouth continued to press, and their ambition was ultimately rewarded in dramatic fashion.

The match turned sharply during a chaotic seven-minute spell in the first half that proved costly for Liverpool. Evanilson opened the scoring in the 26th minute after Van Dijk failed to clear his lines, with Alex Scott’s sharp ball across goal punishing the lapse. In the same phase, Joe Gomez was injured after colliding with goalkeeper Alisson while trying to block the shot, leaving Liverpool temporarily down to 10 men.

With play continuing as Wataru Endo prepared to come on, Bournemouth took full advantage. In the 33rd minute, Alex Jimenez timed his run perfectly to meet James Hill’s through ball and calmly finished through Alisson’s legs to make it 2-0, underlining the Cherries’ ruthlessness.

Liverpool eventually regrouped and responded impressively. On the brink of half-time, Van Dijk rose highest to head home from a Szoboszlai corner, restoring hope. That belief carried into the second half, and Mohamed Salah cleverly rolled a free-kick into Szoboszlai’s path, allowing the Hungarian midfielder to fire low past Djordje Petrovic for the equaliser.

Both sides sensed victory was there to be claimed. Alisson was forced into a fine save to tip Ryan Christie’s effort over the bar, while at the other end Petrovic produced a stunning stop to deny Florian Wirtz, preserving Bournemouth’s momentum and belief.

As the clock ticked into stoppage time, neither team appeared content with a draw. Bournemouth pushed forward once more, and when the ball broke loose in the Liverpool box, Adli kept his composure to finish and spark wild celebrations. Petrovic sprinted to the touchline to embrace the dugout as the Vitality Stadium erupted in collective joy.

The result hands Liverpool their first defeat since November and extends their wait for a Premier League win in 2026. They remain fourth in the table, while Bournemouth climb to 13th, boosted by a result that could prove pivotal for their confidence.

Despite an injury-hit squad and the mid-season loss of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, Iraola’s players produced a fearless, high-energy display in difficult conditions. While they briefly sat deeper in the second half, their willingness to attack late on defined the evening.