Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has warned more VAR would “ruin” football after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision.

Football’s lawmakers are considering options to extend the system’s use at the same time as a debate over its effectiveness in its current form rages on.

The Magpies were denied a Champions League victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review a decision not to award a penalty for handball against Tino Livramento by VAR official Thomas Kwiatkowski and changed his mind to allow Kylian Mbappe to level in stoppage time.

Asked if he would like to see more or less VAR, head coach Howe said: “I’d like to see less VAR.

“I don’t have an issue with offsides because that is as close as it can be to being right, whether you agree with the decision, the lines give you a black and white yes or no. The rest, I’m not in favour.

“I still think it’s just another person’s opinion against another person’s opinion. It’s very subjective. I’d like to see less. I definitely wouldn’t want to see more because I think it would ruin the game.”

Kwiatkowski had been due to oversee Wednesday night’s Real Sociedad versus Red Bull Salzburg game in the same competition, but was stood down, a decision which brought Howe, who revealed the club have contacted UEFA to seek clarity over the penalty award, little comfort.

He said: “That for me, with VAR is an issue – not enough power is given to the on-field decision, which in this case was correct.

“I still believe – I’m old-fashioned in this – that the on-field decision should be given a little bit more strength because the referee is there, he’s feeling the game, he’s managing the game in the middle and I think that is worth something.”

Howe’s comments came as he prepared his players for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St James’ Park still contemplating a lengthy injury list, but with no new additions after an attritional night at the Parc des Princes and with hopes high that midfielders Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.

Newcastle have lost just one of their last five encounters in all competitions with the Red Devils, who also suffered Champions League disappointment 24 hours later when they squandered a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3, although Erik ten Hag’s side have won five of their last six league games.

Asked if he and his players could use their burning sense of injustice from Paris as added motivation, Howe said: “I always want that sense that we are against everybody outside of Newcastle when we play. I think that helps us.

“That is a good mentality to have, that we are competing against everybody else. It’s certainly served us well to this point and if it helps any individual players, then great.”

The draw for the Euro 2024 finals takes place in Hamburg on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency provides the lowdown on what to expect.

Where and when is the draw taking place?

The finals draw will be staged in Hamburg, at the city’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall, starting at 5pm UK time. The full ceremony is slated to last for 50 minutes, with the draw itself expected to occupy 20 of those minutes.

How will the draw work?

Twenty-four countries will be divided into six groups of four. Countries have been split into four pots in accordance with their results in qualifying. Once drawn from their respective pots, a separate draw will allocate the team’s position number within their group. Hosts Germany have automatically been allocated to Group A, position 1.

Which pots are England, Scotland and Wales in?

England, who won qualifying Group C, are in the top pot as Gareth Southgate’s men aim to go one better than at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals.

Scotland are in the third pot after they finished second behind Spain in Group A, while Wales will hope to be Play-Off Winner A in pot four. To do that, they must first beat Finland on March 21 and then either Poland or Estonia on March 26.

The positioning of the nations throws open the possibility of England, Scotland and Wales being drawn in the same group. England and Wales occupied the same group at the last World Cup in Qatar, while Scotland and England were grouped together at the Euro 2020 finals.

Who might those nations be seeking to avoid?

Scotland will be bracing for a tough assignment against whoever comes out of Pot One, but their qualification victory over Spain in March will give Steve Clarke’s men confidence should the draw set up a rematch next summer.

The Netherlands and Croatia are arguably the teams to avoid in Pot Three, while reigning European champions Italy are the ones to avoid in Pot Four.

How will the group stage work?

The Euros will again feature 24 teams, which has been the case since the 2016 finals in France. That means the top two in each group will progress to the last 16, with the four best third-placed teams also making it through.

When are the finals taking place?

The tournament kicks off at 8pm UK time in Munich on Friday, June 14 next year. Berlin hosts the final on July 14.

How many cities are hosting matches?

Ten cities are involved in staging finals matches – Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart.

Darren Anderton has "loved" Tottenham's start to the season under Ange Postecoglou, particularly praising the "entertaining" style of play.

Spurs and Postecoglou have received widespread plaudits for their start to the season, with a more attacking mindset well received as the team looks to move on from Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich prior to this campaign.

Tottenham sit fifth in the Premier League with 26 points from their 13 matches, and Anderton is excited about how Postecoglou's tenure has started since joining from Celtic in June, comparing it to Ossie Ardiles' time as Spurs head coach between 1993 and 1994.

"I have loved it," Anderton told Stats Perform. "I have really enjoyed the transformation that's going on. As a Spurs fan and an ex-Spurs player, to watch them has been a breath of fresh air.

"It's been a joy to watch them this year. I'd have to say over the last couple of years I would not be rushing to turn the TV on at some points. But I think that the style of football is so entertaining. Spurs fans want to see that. And if you can do that and be successful as well, then it's great.

"I feel we're always going to create opportunities with the style of football and the quality of the players.

"I obviously remember from my time and how we used to attack under Ossie [Ardiles]. I feel like there's that excitement here but with that little bit more emphasis on obviously being difficult to beat as well when it needs to be done.

"Whereas Ozzy, when we asked him what we do when we lose the ball and what shape, he said, 'Hey, you're good players, you should never lose the ball'. So this is exciting, but I think with a stronger squad and with better defensive players."

Spurs were leading the Premier League heading into November, but three losses on the spin have seen them lose touch on the summit, currently four points and four places behind leaders and bitter rivals Arsenal.

Anderton feels Spurs have been unlucky across those defeats, saying: "Yes, in the last three games they've got beat.

"But I thought the Wolves game, they didn't play particularly well, but probably still should have won the game. I think in the Chelsea game, if Son's goal had been allowed to stand and we went 2-1 up, I think we might have gone on and won four or five.

"And then the Villa game, I think the Villa game is just a good game. I think, obviously, there are some VAR decisions that probably didn't go our way, but that's just sometimes in football how things go."

Injuries and suspensions have been a huge factor in Spurs dropping off after their initial red-hot start, with James Maddison and Micky van de Ven both in the physio room, while Cristian Romero has been missing with a ban after a straight red card against Chelsea.

Anderton believes injuries could derail Spurs' season, explaining: "Obviously, it's going to be difficult to sustain it with the injuries that they've got.

"They're just going through a little bit of a spell. James Maddison started so well. He's going to be a huge miss. I don't think the team has had a player like that since Christian Eriksen. The way that he gets the team to play and the way to still keeps playing on the front foot is refreshing to see.

"Unfortunately, I think that Romero and Van de Ven being out at the moment has left us a little bit thin at the back and teams have been able to take advantage of that."

Joao Felix could finally fulfil his potential in Barcelona's possession-based style, says former Atletico Madrid team-mate Hector Herrera.

The Portugal international arrived at Atleti at the age of 19 ahead of the 2019-20 campaign for a club-record fee of €126million (£109m), but never quite lived up to his massive price tag, scoring just 34 goals in 131 games.

He had an unremarkable spell on loan at Chelsea last season, before Barcelona brought him in until the end of the campaign just before the most recent transfer deadline.

Joao Felix will look to come back and haunt his former side this weekend, with his loan agreement stating the forward is allowed to play as Barca host Atleti in LaLiga on Sunday.

While Atleti are happy to allow the opposition to have the majority of the ball, Xavi's Barca are predominantly a possession-first side, with the Blaugrana having 66.72 per cent of the ball in LaLiga this season, significantly higher than the 50.67 per cent Atletico have averaged since the start of the 2019-20 season.

However, the change in tactics has seemingly done little to improve Joao Felix's form, with the 24-year-old averaging 0.12 goals, 0.25 assists and 0.37 big chances created per 90 minutes for Barca, ranking fifth, fourth and fourth respectively among his five LaLiga seasons so far.

Despite those numbers, Herrera feels Joao Felix could still flourish under Xavi, telling Stats Perform: "Beyond having been colleagues, we have a great relationship.

"It seemed that at Atletico he couldn't adapt, but now at Barcelona with a more associative game with the ball, I hope he has success and can stand out as he wants.

"He is a good player and he has a lot of future. He is able to exploit all his potential."

Diego Simeone's passion and defence-first tactics make him an ideal fit at Atletico Madrid, according to Hector Herrera.

Herrera played under Simeone at Atleti for three years between 2019 and 2022, winning the 2020-21 LaLiga title with the club before heading to MLS with Houston Dynamo.

Simeone has enjoyed great success since he was appointed at Atleti in 2011, leading them to a pair of league titles, two Europa League trophies as well as two Champions League finals, albeit losing both to city rivals Real Madrid.

The 53-year-old took charge of his 100th Champions League game with Atleti as they won 3-1 away at Feyenoord on Tuesday to clinch a last-16 place. Simeone is one of just three coaches to manage 100 or more Champions League games with the same team, joining Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, who managed the feat with Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Simeone has often been described as a defensive coach, though Herrera believes his former boss, known by many as 'Cholo', instead uses his conservative tactics to give his team more license to go and attack.

"The people outside think that the game is defensive, but Cholo's idea is clear," Herrera told Stats Perform. "First you have to defend to be able to attack later.

"He always said that you start by being good defensively, and then you can create danger. They believe that the best way to attack is to defend and I think that works well for them.

"It is a way of playing that has given him a lot of success and when I was there too. He works and makes it very clear to you what you have to do on the pitch."

Simeone will enter his 13th year as Atleti head coach in December, having signed a new contract in November that will keep him with the club until 2027.

Herrera believes the views of Simeone and the club align and that is why he chose to stay on, saying: "They are one for another. Atletico is for Cholo and Cholo is for Atletico.

"They have the same passion for the club and for football, that's why it's gone so well. He is a coach who feels a lot about football and his profession. He has a very clear idea of himself and the identity of the club.

"All of this is why he has done so well and has earned to continue being the team's coach."

Jeff Stelling will return to the screens in a new presenting role as host of Prime Video’s Every Game Every Goal show, the on-demand streaming service has announced.

Stelling, 68, who stood down as anchor of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show in May after almost 30 years in the role, has joined Prime Video’s broadcast team for 20 live and exclusive Premier League matches in December.

Former Football Focus and BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, 45, will also host some of Prime Video’s new shows, which will exclusively cover two rounds of Premier League fixtures.

Prime Video said Every Game Every Goal on December 6 will show “all the goals and key moments from every game as soon as they go in across all six of the evening’s fixtures, including Sheffield United v Liverpool, Aston Villa v Manchester City and Manchester United v Chelsea.

“In addition, Dan Walker will make his presenting debut on live Premier League football for the very first time across a number of Prime Video matches in December, including Wolves v Burnley, Spurs v West Ham and Burnley v Liverpool.”

Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Patrice Evra will return to Prime Video’s coverage as pundits alongside Michael Owen, Eni Aluko, Roberto Martinez, Jermain Defoe and Stuart Pearce.

The show’s presenting and commentary team will also see the return of Gabby Logan, Ally McCoist, Jon Champion, Clive Tyldesley, Robyn Cowen, Jim Rosenthal and Guy Mowbray, Prime Video said.

Stelling will be supported by the likes of Dion Dublin, Tim Sherwood, Siobhan Chamberlain and Nedum Onuoha on analysis duties.

Unai Emery takes Aston Villa to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to extend their equal best start to a Premier League season.

With 28 points from 13 games, the PA news agency looks at Villa’s form so far.

Champions League challenge

Villa’s 2-1 win over Tottenham last weekend lifted them into the top four, ahead of their opponents’ own impressive total of 26 points.

Their form means the Premier League has five teams averaging at least two points per game at this stage of the season for only the second time, following 2018-19 when Manchester City led the way with 35 points from a possible 39 and Arsenal sat fifth with 27.

Villa have only once previously had this many points from their first 13 Premier League games, in 1998-99.

John Gregory’s side were unbeaten in their first 12 games, winning eight and drawing four to top the table, before losing 4-2 to Liverpool. They went on to finish sixth in the table.

Emery’s Villa have bounced back impressively from their opening 5-1 loss to Newcastle and now have nine wins and three defeats to their name, scoring 31 goals and conceding 18 – the 1998-99 side had scored 20 at the same stage but let in only 10, even after the Liverpool match.

Emery renaissance

Villa’s resurgence under Emery dates back to last season, when he took over a team sitting a point above the relegation zone after three wins in 13 games under predecessor Steven Gerrard and lifted them to seventh place and qualification for the Europa Conference League.

He has won 30 of his 48 games in charge in all competitions, 62.5 per cent, with 13 losses and only five draws. His team have scored 94 goals and conceded 58.

Since Emery’s first game on November 1 last year, Villa rank fourth in the Premier League points table with 77 from 38 games – one match fewer than the other teams in the top five, and only two points behind third-ranked Liverpool. They are third for this calendar year, when their 22 Premier League wins are a club record.

Villa Park has become a fortress, with 13 consecutive home league wins marking their longest run of the Premier League era – they last won 13 straight home top-flight games back in 1983. They are also the league’s top scorers at home this season with 23 goals in six matches.

A high defensive line has played a role in Emery’s success, with Villa catching opponents offside 166 times since he took over. That is a remarkable 75 more than any other Premier League team, with Liverpool at 93 in that time, and more than double Fulham’s third-placed total of 82.

While seven goals are enough to make Ollie Watkins their top league goalscorer this season, Douglas Luiz is just behind with five and of their nine different scorers, all bar Jacob Ramsey have netted more than once.

What the papers say

Portuguese winger Jota is reportedly looking to reunite with his former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, the Sun reports. However Postecoglou is unsure if the club will make a move for the 24-year-old. Jota currently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

The Daily Express reports Manchester United have joined the ever-growing race to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are also interested in the 27-year-old.

The Manchester Evening News says Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi has ruled out a mid-season move to Manchester United as he does not want to dampen his chances of being selected in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Lucas Paqueta: Manchester City could reportedly lose interest in the West Ham midfielder if there is no resolution found over the gambling investigation into the midfielder, Football Transfers says.

Estevao Willian: Teamtalk reports the 16-year-old Brazilian is being chased by a plethora of clubs including Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund.

More than 30 people have been arrested following violence from Legia Warsaw fans prior to their Europa Conference League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Missiles were thrown at police as the visiting fans were held in the coach park near the stadium, before they were due to enter for Thursday’s group game.

West Midlands Police said four officers were injured and although the game started on time, no Legia fans were allowed into the stadium ahead of kick-off.

The force said in a statement following the game that 39 people were arrested after the “disgusting and highly dangerous scenes”, with one of the injured police officers taken to hospital.

Two police horses and two police dogs were also hurt.

Chief Inspector Tim Robinson said: “This should have been a great evening of football which was enjoyed by fans from both clubs.

“Unfortunately, there were appalling scenes which saw away fans dangerously throw flares and other missiles at our officers.”

He said the “extreme violence” left police with no other choice but to prevent away fans entering the stadium, adding: “The safety of everyone is our priority, and clearly we had no other option.”

Villa and West Midlands Police both released statements before the game had finished, with the Premier League club revealing requests to the Polish club before the tie for help in preventing ticketless fans from travelling went unanswered.

Villa said: “Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that no away fans were allowed into Villa Park for this evening’s UEFA Europa Conference League fixture with Legia Warsaw on the advice of West Midlands Police following large-scale disorder outside the stadium caused by visiting supporters.

“The UK safety authorities, UEFA and Aston Villa, communicated on November 2 that the ticket allocation for away fans for this fixture would be reduced to 1,002 on the advice of safety authorities as a result of previous large-scale disorder caused by Legia fans last month at AZ Alkmaar.

“A number of Dutch police officers were injured during that disorder. As a consequence, UEFA banned Legia supporters from travelling to Mostar for their game against HSK Zrinjski.

“In spite of numerous requests for cooperation from Legia Warsaw concerning their travelling supporters, especially in the last two days, no assistance on the serious safety matter of away fans attending Villa Park was forthcoming from the visiting club.

“The club has repeatedly, including this morning, raised concerns in conjunction with UEFA and all the relevant authorities to Legia that ticketless away supporters were attempting to attend Villa Park.”

Villa said Legia fans “engaged in planned and systematic violent acts against West Midlands Police officers” about an hour before kick-off.

The club added: “Aston Villa strongly condemns the behaviour of those visiting supporters and would like to thank West Midlands Police for their professionalism in very difficult circumstances.”

In its own pre-game statement, the Polish side accused Villa of restricting access to their fans in a move it called “counterproductive and baseless”.

It said senior executives, including the club’s owner, made the decision to boycott the game in response to the move.

Legia coach Kosta Runjaic refused to be drawn on the disorder in the post-match press conference.

He said: “I think its a different topic, it’s not my business. I’ve been in a big focus to lead the team. We represented Polish football in a good way, all other things outside the stadium I don’t want to comment.

“We have great fans, they support us home and away. We can always count on them. So far since I’ve been at Legia I’ve had a good experience with our fans. I don’t know the content of it all happening.

“I don’t know the details, which is why it’s better I don’t speak too much about it. Unfortunately our fans weren’t in the stadium and the atmosphere would have been better.

“It’s not about the fans, it’s a pity but we can’t change it.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared himself satisfied with the 4-0 victory over LASK which secured top spot in their Europa League group with a match to spare.

Two goals from Cody Gakpo and one apiece from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, his 199th for the club, saw them coast past the Austrians at Anfield.

Toulouse’s draw with Union Saint-Gilloise meant Klopp’s side cannot be caught at the top and crucially that means avoiding the play-off round when the competition restarts in February.

“Two top results for us tonight in the group,” said Klopp.

“It was clear, with the defeat at Toulouse (last time out) we made it a bit more tricky but because of our result and their result we are now top of the table and that will not change.

“That’s good, very important in the busy schedule we have from now on.

“A lot of positives in the game, a lot of good football. The thing I didn’t like too much, and told the boys at half-time, (was) this game should have been put to bed already at half-time.

“You cannot play better, you cannot set it up better, (but) you can finish it better obviously – but we didn’t.

“Caoimhin (Kelleher) worked for his clean sheet, which he desperately wanted, and that’s good.

“We scored a fourth goal in the last minute or whatever, so result top, performance really good (and) nobody got injured. All good.”

Liverpool are favourites for the Europa League but having put themselves firmly in the title race the demands on Klopp’s side are likely to be significant when the competition resumes.

However, the Reds boss refused to relegate Europe to a second-tier ambition.

“Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest,” he added.

“I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it’s the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that.

“But now we play Premier League on Sunday (at home to Fulham) and so that is then the most important competition, definitely.

“We want to go as far as somehow possible (in the Europa League).”

Gakpo said the squad were determined to compete in all competitions they were in.

“We have to keep going because we have big goals for the season. That’s it,” he told TNT Sports.

“We just have to keep going and win as much as possible. We have a lot of quality in the group and I think with this quality we can win a lot of games.”

Philippe Clement insists Rangers will be going all out to secure Europa League football against Real Betis after struggling to a 1-1 draw against Aris Limassol at Ibrox.

The Light Blues, who had suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the Cypriot side on matchday two, struggled after falling behind after 28 minutes to a Shavy Babicka goal.

Clement replaced Todd Cantwell with 20-year-old Ross McCausland before the break and the young Northern Ireland international, who signed a new deal earlier in the week, levelled early in the second half with his first Gers goal.

Rangers moved on to eight points, one behind Real Betis whom they play in the final Group C game in Spain on December 14.

Sparta Prague are on seven points and Aris Limassol are on four and although a spot in the Europa Conference League is assured for the Light Blues, only a victory in Spain can guarantee progression in the Europa League.

Clement said: “We have everything to win there.

“We already have European football in the new year but we can also win the group.

“So for sure that is going to be the idea – to win the game and end the group in the right way.

“There are still a few weeks and I have time to think and see what the team situation is.”

The Belgian revealed he took Cantwell off to get more width into the team.

He said: “I had to make a change early, something I don’t like to do.

“But we were missing with width on our right side and missing running players in behind the defence there.

“I gave that message a few times to Todd but he kept coming into the ball all the time, so that’s why I made the change to put Ross in, who is more of that profile.

“Todd’s best position is elsewhere but we have been in the situation where we haven’t had a lot of players on the right side.

“Scott Wright was not available, and Ross [McCausland] is coming out of the academy and taking his first steps and he is not ready to shine every three days, and play every 90 minutes; that’s impossible.

“And Rabbi Matondo was injured. So we have had a lot of problems in the last couple of weeks. Players are coming back, but we have to work hard.

“I know Todd’s best position is as a number 10, or coming off the left side, so I’m really happy with him, what he has showed for the team in the last couple of weeks because he played that position, and he can play that position.”

Aris Limassol boss Aleksey Shpilevsky claimed the unbeaten double against the Glasgow giants was a “miracle” as he expressed disappointment at leaving with only a point which ends their European journey this season.

He said: “The fact that we are undefeated against this big team, it is like a miracle not only for Aris but for all of Cyprus.

“What the guys are doing, with our budget, with our conditions, perhaps you can show the guys our training pitch and what it looks like then you will laugh at this, that makes it absolutely amazing.

“We are very disappointed about the fact that we didn’t manage to win.

“It was possible. It was not the best game from our side but we didn’t allow too many chances for Rangers, the way it might be expected.

“It is always crazy and always upset to lose a goal like that and that’s why I am disappointed about a draw in Ibrox against an amazing club, amazing fans, amazing atmosphere but it was possible but we have to accept it.”

Unai Emery urged Aston Villa to finish the job after they booked their spot in the Europa Conference League knockout stages.

The manager wants to seal top spot in Group E following Thursday’s 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw.

Alex Moreno’s winner – on his first appearance since May following a hamstring injury – earned victory after Moussa Diaby’s opener was cancelled out by Ernest Muci in the first half.

Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police before the game – injuring three officers – which saw the supporters barred from Villa Park.

Villa moved above Legia at the top of the group and need a point in Mostar, the final group game, next month to guarantee their last 16 spot.

Emery said: “I’m really happy because we started this competition losing in Warsaw. We wanted to show how we have improved after that match and we played well.

“We were professional, feeling good, feeling strong and we want to finish first. It’s not complete yet but we are close to it.

“This competition is very important, it’s a trophy and trying to get minutes for some players. Alex Moreno has come back, Jacob Ramsey, Jhon Duran got 90 minutes and as a team we had to get performances with every player.”

Diaby struck after four minutes when he was sent scampering down the right by Youri Tielemans before cutting inside and finding the corner.

Jhon Duran went close to adding a second before Legia cashed in on a terrible error by Boubacar Kamara after 20 minutes.

The midfielder received the ball from Robin Olsen on the edge of the box but passed straight to Muci, who found the top corner.

Encouraged, Legia settled and went close three minutes into the second half when Gil Dias’ header hit the bar.

But it sparked Villa back into life and, after Kacper Tobiasz denied Diaby, Moreno netted a 59th-minute winner when he volleyed in Douglas Luiz’s free kick.

Legia, who beat Villa 3-2 in the opening game in September, are three points behind and are now facing a last 32 tie against a side dropping down from the Europa League in February.

Boss Kosta Runjaic said: “It’s the expected result but we faced it in a pretty good way. Villa have a lot of power at home and are unbeaten since February.

“The first half was equal, we tried to play with courage and scored a fantastic goal. Villa played a good game but we could have defended their free-kick better and in the end it was a deserved win for Villa.

“Now we have one game left, we will be well-prepared.”

Arsenal have approached Ben White to begin talks over extending the defender’s contract at the Emirates Stadium.

White, 26, joined the Gunners from Brighton for £50million in 2021 and has since established himself as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice right-back.

The England international has made 103 appearances for Arsenal and returned from injury off the bench in Wednesday’s 6-0 Champions League win over Lens.

The PA news agency understands sporting director Edu has led the decision to drive negotiations with White as a reward for his form, despite the fact the former Leeds loanee has two and a half years remaining on his contract.

If a new deal is agreed, White would become the latest of Arteta’s major names to extend his stay in north London.

First-team regulars Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes have all signed new contracts since October 2022, as have Aaron Ramsdale, Reiss Nelson and Mohamed Elneny.

Rangers’ European journey will continue into 2024 but a disconcerting 1-1 draw with Aris Limassol means a wait until the final Group C fixture to see if progress will be in the Europa League.

The Light Blues had suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to the Cypriot side on matchday two following the departure of boss Michael Beale and on a freezing evening in Govan they were in trouble again in the 28th minute when Shavy Babicka scored on the break.

Boss Philippe Clement replaced Todd Cantwell with Ross McCausland before the break and the young Northern Ireland attacker scored his first Gers goal early in the second half to level.

A poor first-half performance improved only marginally and although Clement remains unbeaten in nine games, there were boos at the end.

Rangers moved on to eight points, one behind Real Betis whom they play in the final Group C game in Spain next month, with Sparta Prague on seven and  Aris Limassol on four and there are permutations in terms of finishing in the top two but at least third place and a spot in the Europa Conference League is guaranteed.

Clement had some reshuffling to do for the visit of the group’s bottom side.

With Connor Goldson suspended and Leon Balogun not in the European squad, the Belgian had to change his centre-back pairing with Ben Davies and John Souttar coming in.

Attacking midfielder Sam Lammers came in for Tom Lawrence but he miskicked from 12 yards in the sixth minute as Rangers began to build some momentum.

However, in the 11th minute Gers keeper Jack Butland had to produce a fine save from a 25-yard thunderbolt from Aris left-back Caju, the home side surviving the corner.

Rangers struggled to click into gear and there was no surprise when they fell behind to the visiting side growing in belief.

After Cantwell had conceded possession in the Aris half, Aleksandr Kokorin’s long pass split Souttar and Davies and Gabon striker Babicka skipped past the latter and then rounded Butland before knocking the ball into the empty net.

As Ibrox continued to grumble in frustration, Kokorin hammered the ball over the bar from 12 yards before boos accompanied Clement’s 35th-minute substitution of Cantwell for 20-year-old winger McCausland, who signed a new deal earlier in the week.

The fans’ ire, though, was mostly directed at Lammers who was having a wretched game but there were more general boos at half-time.

However, three minutes after the restart McCausland had the stadium cheering when he took a pass from Danilo, who had taken advantage of a sloppy throw-in, and drilled the ball low into the net off the far post.

Rangers fans urged their side to inject pace into their game and they were happy to see Lawrence replace Lammers in the 57th minute, just before striker Danilo failed to control a pass from skipper James Tavernier inside the box.

In the 63rd minute, after Rangers broke with pace, McCausland had a shot blocked inside the Aris penalty area after playing an elongated one-two with Lawrence before a Danilo header tested Aris goalkeeper and captain Vana.

Rabbi Matondo took over from Abdallah Sima in the 79th minute but it never really looked like the winner would come and indeed Aris had a few forays in the final minutes, also to no avail.

The journey moves on to Seville but Rangers have to show much more than they did against a very ordinary Aris Limassol team.

Alex Moreno fired Aston Villa into the Europa Conference League knockout stages after a 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw.

The defender’s first goal, on his first appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, sent Unai Emery’s side top of Group E.

Moussa Diaby opened the scoring before Ernest Muci seized on Boubacar Kamara’s defensive gaffe to level.

Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police pre-match, launching missiles and injuring three officers to ensure there were no visiting supporters inside Villa Park.

Around 2,000 fans had gathered, despite Legia having a restricted allocation of 1,000 following supporters’ behaviour in Alkmaar, and were barred from entering the stadium, sparking a row between the clubs with both issuing statements criticising each other.

There was no love lost between the clubs, yet it was a fairly forgettable game.

Four years ago this week Villa boss Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal after overseeing their longest winless run since 1992.

He lasted just 18 months after replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates but recovered to win the Europa League with Villarreal, the fourth time he had lifted the trophy.

Having taken Villa back into Europe for the first time in 13 years, they reached the knockout stage of the newest competition with a game to spare, although need a point in Mostar in two weeks to book top spot.

Legia beat them 3-2 in Warsaw in the opening game in September, opening the scoring after just three minutes, but this time it took the hosts 60 seconds longer to take the lead.

Youri Tielemans sent Diaby clear down the right and with the freedom to cut inside, with Artur Jedrzejczyk rapidly backpedalling, he curled into the bottom corner.

Emery’s side went for the kill and Jhon Duran’s pace saw him tear past Steve Kapuadi and Jedrzejczyk, only to be denied by Kacper Tobiasz before Clement Lenglet nodded the resulting corner wide.

The hosts were in control – with no Legia fans in the stadium – but Villa Park was silenced after 20 minutes.

It was all of the hosts’ own making when Robin Olsen, handed a rare start, found Kamara on the edge of the area only for the midfielder to play a blind pass straight to Muci.

The Albania international, who scored twice against Villa in September, still had plenty to do but kept his cool to lift a fine effort over the stranded Olsen from the edge of the box.

With it, Villa lost their mojo and Legia flourished although it took until three minutes after the break for them to go close to adding a second.

Pawel Wszolek crossed and Gil Dias stooped to send a looping header onto the top of the bar with Olsen beaten.

The escape roused Villa and Tobiasz thwarted Diaby before Moreno grabbed the winner after 59 minutes.

The left back, making his first appearance since May, latched onto Douglas Luiz’s free-kick to hook in from close range.

From then, Villa saw the game out and could have even had a third with three minutes left when Leon Bailey hit the bar after lobbing Tobiasz.