It’s been a week for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

On the court there was a comeback victory against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, followed by a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night in which head coach JJ Redick said his team didn’t trust each other on the court. In between was a lengthy ESPN exposé on the contentious family drama involving Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss and her siblings. The report also featured Buss souring on James’ power within the franchise, and took a dim view of the superstar’s perceived ingratitude for drafting his son, Bronny. Buss refuted that particular claim in a statement to The Athletic. 

So you can imagine what set of questions James faced from reporters after Thursday’s 112-104 defeat at the Clippers. 

When asked what he thought about his partnership with Buss, James said, “I thought it was good. But, you know, somebody could see it another way. There’s always two sides to a coin.”

Before that, James told the group of reporters in the locker room that the story didn’t impact him. 

“Quite frankly I don’t really care about articles. I really don’t,” James said. “I don’t care about stories, I don’t care about podcasts and all that type of s***. That don’t bother me. … I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about.” 

James has a no-trade clause in his contract and has approval rights over any deal the Lakers could seek for him ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Asked if he hoped to stay with the Lakers for the remainder of the season, James said: “I’m good. I’m good. … I’m good.”

Earlier this month, James’ agent and longtime friend Rich Paul created a stir from his podcast when he said the Lakers should deal Austin Reaves before the trade deadline. James distanced himself from those comments last week. 

As for his relationship with Buss, James gave a quizzical look when he was asked if the two had cleared the air after ESPN’s report.  

“We never talk. I don’t understand,” James said. “It’s not like me and Jeanie been on the phone talking. You guys ain’t never heard a report about that. Don’t make something out of it that’s not. It’s always been mutual, it’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership.”  

Kawhi Leonard returned to the Los Angeles Clippers’ lineup after missing the past three games with a left knee contusion. He made a significant impact, scoring 24 points in a 112-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Intuit Center on Thursday night. 

Leonard came into Thursday’s game averaging a career-high 28.9 points while playing in 30 of the Clippers’ 43 games. He had scored a combined 68 points versus the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets in the two games he played before sitting out with his injury. Leonard played 25 minutes, shooting 9 for 19 (and 3 of 7 on 3-pointers) from the floor. 

The Clippers held a 79-53 lead midway through the third quarter after an Ivica Zubac dunk. From there, however, the Lakers chipped away at that 26-point margin with a 19-7 run to end the frame. That became a 34-14 run that trimmed the Clippers’ lead to 93-85 by the 7:40 mark of the fourth quarter. 

A Luka Dončić fadeaway 3-pointer with Kris Dunn guarding him moved the Lakers to within 93-91 with 5:56 remaining. But James Harden countered with a 3 of his own to finally stop the Lakers’ momentum and steady the Clippers. John Collins followed with a layup and Zubac hit two free throws to restore the Clippers’ lead back to 100-91 with under four minutes to play. 

Clippers coach Ty Lue then won a big replay challenge, arguing that a foul on Jordan Miller should instead be ruled a loose ball foul on the Lakers’ Marcus Smart. Lue won the challenge, which took two free throws away from Smart and awarded them to Miller because the Lakers were in the penalty. Miller made one of the two free throws, and that gave the Clippers a 10-point lead. 

Yet the Lakers fought back again with LeBron James getting a fast-break dunk and Smart turning a Miller turnover into a jumper. Leonard committed another turnover, losing the ball out of bounds, and that led to a Jarred Vanderbilt dunk to cut the Clippers’ lead to 103-99. 

Following two free throws by Zubac, James was fouled on a layup and made the subsequent free throw for a 3-point play to pull the Lakers to within 105-102. But Zubac followed with a reverse dunk and Collins hit a 3-pointer after Rui Hachimura missed a long-range shot of his own. That was the dagger, giving the Clippers a 110-102 lead with 43 seconds remaining. 

Doncic finished with a game-high 32 points, but shot 11 of 27 from the floor (including 3 of 13 on 3s). He added 11 rebounds and 8 assists. James scored 23 points after tallying only nine at halftime. But he also shot 9 of 19 while grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists. 

The Lakers’ loss dropped them to 26-17 and the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference, behind the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. Up next, they visit the Dallas Mavericks (19-26) for a nationally televised prime-time matchup Saturday on ABC. The Mavs have won four in a row and five of their past six games.

For the Clippers, Zubac scored 18 points with 19 rebounds while Harden also scored 18 and notched 10 assists. Altogether, seven Clippers reached double figures in scoring. The win was the Clippers’ 14th in their past 17 games and improved their record to 20-24, good for 10th place in the West. They’re off until Sunday, when they host the Brooklyn Nets (12-30). 

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid combined for 68 points and 20 assists, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a 128-122 win at home over the Houston Rockets in overtime. 

The Sixers went into halftime with a 68-61 lead after Maxey threw down a dunk with 2.1 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Yet the Rockets rallied to tie the score at 88 on a Dorian Finney-Smith 3-pointer with 21 seconds left in the third. Kevin Durant also hit three 3s to boost the Houston comeback. 

Two missed calls by the officials resulted in the game going to overtime. 

At the end of regulation, Durant appeared to commit goaltending on blocking Maxey’s layup attempt with three seconds remaining. He blocked the shot after it hit the glass. But the play could not be reviewed because goaltending was not originally called by the officials. 

On the rebound after Durant’s block, the Rockets were awarded a timeout even though they didn’t have clear possession of the ball. Had Houston not been allowed to call timeout, Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe had an open 3-pointer that could have won the game. 

[Get more 76ers news: Philly team feed]

Instead, the officials reviewed the play and said an inadvertent whistle had been blown. That resulted in a jump ball at mid-court with 1.3 seconds left. Kelly Oubre Jr. got the ball, but Philadelphia could not get a shot off before time expired in regulation. 

“Look, they are supposed to call those,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said afterwards, via The Athletic. “If it is even close, they are supposed to call those and then go and review and get the play right. They should have called it in order to get the play right.”

In overtime, the Sixers quickly took a 5-point lead on a 3 from Paul George and layup by Edgecombe. Houston quickly tied the score at 120-120 on a Durant 3 and Amen Thompson layup. Philadelphia then outscored the Rockets 6-2 during the final two minutes to take a four-point lead. A Maxey dunk with 6.4 seconds remaining clinched the game for the 76ers. 

Maxey scored six points in overtime to finish with 36, 10 assists and 4 steals. Embiid tallied a triple-double with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Oubre, who was moved into the starting lineup, added 26 points (hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers) with 4 assists and 3 boards. And George finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. 

With the win, Philadelphia improved 24-19 to move ahed of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs host the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The 76ers host the New York Knicks on Saturday with a chance to pull the Knicks, who have lost nine of their past 12 games, further down the standings.

Durant led the Rockets with 36 points (making 5-of-8 3s) and 7 rebounds. Thompson added 17 points, 6 boards and 9 assists, while Reed Sheppard scored 14 (with 4-of-7 3-pointers) off the bench. Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason each finished with 13 points. 

Houston dropped to 26-16 with the defeat and could fall behind the Los Angeles Lakers to the No. 5 spot in the West, pending the Lakers’ matchup on Thursday with the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Just as Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga was finding a groove, he found himself back on the bench, this time because of left knee soreness that he sustained, along with a twisted left ankle, on a second-quarter drive during a 123-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

While Kuminga briefly remained in the game, he hit the locker room before halftime and didn’t return to action. He’s dealing with a minor knee hyperextension, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who reported that the injury isn’t believed to be serious.

Kuminga’s setback occurred in the Warriors’ second game since losing six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler III for the season because of a torn ACL.

Butler’s absence opened the door for Kuminga to play again. Kuminga, whom the Warriors selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 draft, endured a contract dispute this offseason. Then he requested a trade last week after being relegated to the Warriors’ bench.

But, after 16 straight DNPs, Kuminga was firmly back in the rotation. He went for 20 points in 21 minutes Tuesday in a loss to the Toronto Raptors and was following up that performance with another head-turning outing versus the Mavericks (19-26), who have now won four games in a row.

[Get more Warriors news: Golden State team feed]

Kuminga checked in with 5:04 to go in the first quarter and immediately ignited an 8-0 Warriors run that he fueled with a pair of and-1s, the first on a jumper and the next on a layup.

That flurry of points gave Golden State (25-21) a lead. Steve Kerr’s group recovered after missing its first six shots. It took nearly six minutes for a Warriors player not named Stephen Curry to put the ball through the net.

In fact, Curry converted three of his first four field-goal attempts — all three makes were from deep, including a 28-footer — while his teammates began the night 0 of 8 from the field.

That was a sign of things to come. Curry made eight triples. The rest of the team made seven. Curry scored 38 points. The only other Warriors player to score more than 12 was De’Anthony Melton. He pitched in 22 points.

Dallas, on the other hand, had four players pile up at least 19 points, namely Naji Marshall, who stood out with 30 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Cooper Flagg grabbed 21 points and 11 rebounds.

While the Warriors entered the second quarter with a lead in hand, they experienced more shooting woes. They wound up finishing the first half with a mere 34.7% field goal percentage. They shot only 6 of 25 from beyond the arc over the first two quarters.

Flagg, who reeled in nine first-half rebounds, really made his mark in the second quarter. He followed a Klay Thompson missed 3 with a putback dunk. He also negated a Draymond Green block with an offensive rebound and clean-up basket inside. Soon after, he flung a pass to Thompson for a 3. Dallas dominated the second-chance points category, 24-5.

Kuminga’s final highlight before his early exit was an alley-oop dunk that he hammered home with one hand.

In part thanks to a pair of 3s from Max Christie, the Mavericks turned a four-point deficit into a five-point halftime lead. The fourth-year guard clocked out with 21 points and 5 of 12 from downtown.

Golden State rediscovered its stroke after intermission. It helped that Curry went off for 13 of the team’s 39 points in the third quarter, which the Warriors ended by outscoring the Mavericks 17-7.

But their streaky offense came back to bite them.

They went more than two and a half minutes without a point in the back half of the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Dallas scored 11 straight, and Green committed a pair of fouls, including a flagrant 1. Green ultimately fouled out with 3:50 remaining with only 4 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists to his name.

Minutes before that, Mavericks big man Dwight Powell converted an and-1 despite bobbling a pass from Marshall, who rounded out the scoring spree by knifing through the paint for a layup.

Curry interrupted the Golden State dry spell by raining down another 3. He simply didn’t have enough help on Thursday, however.

The Warriors missed Butler, and eventually Kuminga as well.

Kuminga told ESPN he will see how his knee feels in the morning before deciding whether to have an MRI.

“We’ll see how bad it is,” Kerr said, per The San Francisco Standard’s Danny Emerman. “Such a shame. He was playing great. That definitely hurt us, not having him available for the second half.”

An offseason that had already featured several starting pitchers traded for sizable returns just delivered another blockbuster: The Texas Rangers acquired left-hander MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals in exchange for five prospects, a package headlined by infielder Gavin Fien, the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft. The Nationals also received first baseman Abimelec Ortiz, shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald, outfielder Yeremy Cabrera and right-hander Alejandro Rosario.

With each successive starter moved this winter — from Sonny Gray to Shane Baz to Edward Cabrera to Freddy Peralta, among others — the spotlight grew brighter on Gore, the most likely candidate to be dealt next from a rotation. Under team control for two more seasons, and on a rebuilding club with a new front office looking to chart a different course, the talented lefty checked all the boxes of the kind of player who could be moved before Opening Day.

Sure enough, new Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was able to find a prospect package that warranted dealing Gore now. The swap to send the southpaw to Texas might not have the same industry-rattling ramifications as the first trade Gore was part of — he arrived in Washington as part of the return for Juan Soto in 2022 — but it’s a significant transaction nonetheless. 

What to make of Texas as his landing spot? Fun fact: The Rangers had the best team ERA (3.49) in MLB in 2025, ranking first in rotation ERA (3.41) and fifth in bullpen ERA (3.62). That remarkable achievement was completely lost amid a miserably mediocre season that ended in an 81-81 record. It’s also a reminder that Texas’ shortcomings in the standings were the result of its lackluster offense, not its pitching staff. That offense remains largely unchanged outside of swapping Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo and signing backstop Danny Jansen, so crucial questions remain about the lineup’s ability to bounce back. 

But there is also some uncertainty on the mound, even after Texas’ quietly excellent year of run prevention. The Rangers were active in restocking the bullpen (Alexis Diaz, Tyler Alexander, Chris Martin, Jakob Junis, Carter Baumler), but the rotation had been unaddressed until now. Texas’ two best arms, Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, are both still in the fold after brilliant seasons, but each is in his late 30s with a notoriously spotty track record of durability. Jack Leiter showed promise as a rookie but has a long way to go to prove himself as a reliable rotation member. Veterans Patrick Corbin and Tyler Mahle, who combined to make 46 starts last season, had yet to be replaced since departing as free agents.

In other words, there was room for improvement in this rotation. But given Texas’ minimal appetite to spend in free agency, such upgrades evidently needed to come via trade. So after laying low since their deal for Nimmo in late November, the Rangers emerged to pull off one of the biggest trades of the offseason to land Gore. 

How much Gore will help the Rangers is, however, its own intriguing question. Because of his prestigious prospect pedigree and how dominant he looks when he’s right, it’s fair to say Gore’s reputation as a frontline arm far outpaces his actual body of work. Yes, he made his first All-Star team last year after shining in the first half. But the totality of his time in the Nationals’ rotation tells a more uneven story. 

Here are Gore’s ranks among the 61 pitchers with at least 400 innings pitched over the past three seasons:

7.3 fWAR (33rd)
4.15 ERA (42nd)
100 ERA+ (44th)
4.49 xERA (48th)
4.01 FIP (34th)
1.39 WHIP (56th)

Some of those ugly numbers are a product of bad luck — Gore’s .326 BABIP allowed is the highest among that 61-pitcher sample, and porous defense in Washington hasn’t done him any favors — but he gets into trouble on his own as well, as evidenced by his 9.3% walk rate, which ranks fourth-highest.

All together, these would not seem to be the metrics of a budding ace, particularly over a sample of innings that large. But as we’ve seen from the contracts handed out to pitchers with bloated ERAs such as Dylan Cease or the high prices paid in trades for guys such as Cabrera, Baz or Ryan Weathers, teams are eager to pay for big-time stuff nowadays, regardless of results or limited track records. And Gore’s arsenal — a 95-mph fastball that touches 98, two different breaking balls and a changeup that garners consistent swing-and-miss — still entices. Plus, if you are looking for the leaderboard that views him more favorably, look no further than the whiffs: Gore’s 27.2% strikeout rate in 2025 was a career high and ranked fifth among lefty starters behind only Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet and Jesus Luzardo. 

There’s also reason for optimism that Gore can reach another gear as he joins a new organization. It’s no secret that prior to the recent regime change, the Nationals’ reputation for pitching development was one of the worst in the league. In Texas, Gore will pursue the improvements to become a true frontline arm under the tutelage of a pitching infrastructure that has proven effective in recent years. His numbers should also benefit from his new home venue, Globe Life Field, which has recently played as one of the most extreme pitchers’ parks in MLB.

For Washington, trading Gore marks the most dramatic rebuilding move yet from its new front office. The Nationals had made a couple of lower-profile trades, dealing lefty reliever Jose Ferrer to Seattle for catching prospect Harry Ford and swapping one of their upper-level pitching prospects, Jake Bennett, for one with potentially greater upside, Luis Perales from Boston. But this deal is an entirely different beast, parting with the arm that was likely to be the team’s Opening Day starter for a huge infusion of young talent that could pay enormous dividends for the organization, albeit not right away. Outside of Ortiz, who finished 2025 with a strong couple of months in Triple-A and could compete for big-league at-bats at first base or DH in 2026, the four other new Nationals have yet to reach Double-A.

Rosario, Texas’ fifth-round pick in 2023 out of the University of Miami, was enjoying a massive breakout in his first professional season (2.24 ERA in 88⅓ innings with 129 strikeouts) before an elbow injury ended his campaign prematurely in August 2024. He hasn’t pitched since then but hasn’t had surgery, either. Toboni said Thursday after the trade that Rosario is expected to finally have elbow surgery soon, meaning the right-hander will miss two full seasons before he returns in 2027 at age 25. His pre-injury form had him tracking like a top-tier pitching prospect, but he’s a real mystery box until he’s back on the mound.

Cabrera is a 20-year-old center fielder who posted a 120 wRC+ with 43 stolen bases with Class-A Hickory last year as one of the youngest regulars in the Carolina League. Fitz-Gerald, a switch-hitting infielder, is a month younger than Cabrera and hit his way to Hickory before a shoulder injury ended his season in July. Still, his strong pro debut had many evaluators wondering how he was only a fifth-round pick the year prior. 

Fien, though, is the prize. The California native was considered one of the best hitters in the 2025 high school class, a status earned by excelling on the summer showcase circuit before his senior year. His somewhat unusual setup and swing, combined with an uneven spring performance, made him divisive in the industry by the time the draft arrived. But certain teams were enamored with his potential as an impact right-handed bat, even with some skepticism about his ability to stick at shortstop.

The Red Sox — who then employed Toboni, among several other scouting brass who have since moved on to Washington’s front office — were reportedly targeting Fien at pick No. 15 before Texas snagged him at No. 12. Less than a year later and now leading the Nationals, Toboni arrived at a new opportunity to acquire Fien and tabbed him as the headliner in his first signature trade — one that won’t be properly judged until several years down the road.

The Los Angeles Lakers returned to notoriety when the team signed superstar LeBron James in free agency ahead of the 2018-19 NBA season. While that partnership turned out well initially — with James leading the team to a championship in his second season — Lakers owner Jeanie Buss reportedly began to sour on James, per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. 

That tidbit was revealed as part of a much larger piece on the Buss’ family drama and how it led to the team being sold to Mark Walter. While there are plenty of juicy revelations in the article, Buss’ relationship with James will likely draw the most attention.

Buss’ opinion of James reportedly started to change after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in 2021. The move, which the team made to make James happy, backfired. Westbook’s fit on the Lakers was awkward, and the team failed to make the playoffs after acquiring the veteran. Buss reportedly was frustrated with the way James washed his hands of the deal and blamed others after it failed, per ESPN.

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

Buss reportedly even considered trading James at one point — with the Los Angeles Clippers being the most likely destination. That didn’t happen, and James inserted a no-trade clause into his 2024 extension, making a deal impossible now unless James approves it. 

The relationship further soured after the Lakers drafted James’ son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Buss reportedly felt LeBron should have been more grateful the team picked his son in the draft, per ESPN.

“And when the Lakers drafted James’ son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, Jeanie privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn’t, people close to the team told ESPN.”

Bronny, 21, has been used in a reserve role in the NBA. He’s averaged 1.9 points in 51 career games. 

Buss released a statement to The Athletic refuting the claim about James, saying: “It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”

But if the report is true, Buss and James could be heading for a clean break in the offseason. James’ contract is up at the end of the season, allowing the 41-year-old to easily leave the team in the offseason. James has still performed well this season and has helped the Lakers to a 26-16 start. If he wants to keep playing, James could almost certainly find a job with another franchise.

But it’s unclear whether James will do that. The 23-year veteran has not addressed his future in the NBA past the 2025-26 season. 

If James does come back for one more year, it’s possible he once again considers the Lakers. But if Wednesday’s report is accurate, James’ return to Los Angeles could be dependent on whether Buss, who remains the team’s governor and minority owner, can still co-exist with the superstar.

Indiana’s perfect season is built for the silver screen. The Hoosiers officially became the biggest long-shot national champions since at least 2001. They put the bow on their storybook run with a 27-21 win over Miami, the school that their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza wanted to play for when he grew up a walk away from its campus.

Mendoza put his body on the line to score an epic fourth-quarter touchdown, and Indiana sealed its first-ever title with an interception that ended the Hurricanes’ potential game-winning drive.

If a movie is made chronicling Indiana’s turnaround from Big Ten laughing stock to college football royalty, it could be a box-office hit — that is, if the viewership numbers from Monday night’s title game are any indication. 

Because the thriller at Hard Rock Stadium drew 30.1 million viewers and is the second most-watched College Football Playoff national championship, according to ESPN PR.

The CFP debuted during the 2014 season. It grew from four to 12 teams last season, which culminated with Ohio State defeating Notre Dame for its title in 10 years. That matchup attracted an average of 22.1 million viewers, per ESPN PR. At the time, viewership numbers were down compared to the season prior when Michigan and Washington brought in approximately 25 million viewers. 

College football’s biggest game delivered this time around, and not just due to Indiana’s Hollywood script. Miami had a compelling journey, too.

After missing out on the CFP during the 2024 campaign, the ‘Canes recorded another 10-win season, snuck into the field and made a run of their own.

As the 10 seed, they took down seventh-seeded Texas A&M, second-seeded Ohio State and sixth-seeded Ole Miss. And they gave the top-seeded Hoosiers a fight in a game that saw 24 of its 48 total points scored in the fourth quarter.

ESPN’s MegaCast audience peaked at 33.2 million viewers. 

The game is now considered the most-viewed non-NFL sports telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, which featured the Chicago Cubs ending their 108-year title drought.

The Mets made a big splash when they acquired RHP Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Brewers on Wednesday, but it wasn’t without cost.

New York sent prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee to complete the deal for Peralta and reliever Tobias Myers. It was a bittersweet day in Mets land as Williams was often at the top of the organization’s prospect lists, including SNY’s Joe DeMayo, who had him ranked No. 3 on his latest rankings — behind only Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. 

He was also ranked No. 71 in Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list ahead of the 2026 season. 

About 24 hours after the deal was made official, Williams posted a message to the Mets and fans as he embarks on a new journey with the Brewers.

“To the Mets organization, thank you for giving me an opportunity and for allowing me the space to grow – through both failure and success. Thank you to the fans for welcoming me with open arms and supporting me through every high and low. To my teammates and everyone in the organization, you will always have a special place in my heart.”

Williams was drafted 14th overall by the Mets in the 2022 draft and had a taste of the Triple-A level by the 2024 season, but was slowed down by injury. The infielder/outfielder returned to have a bounceback 2025 between Binghamton and Syracuse, slashing .261/.363/.465 with an OPS of .828 across 130 games. He smashed 17 home runs, drove in 52 runs and stole 34 bases.

🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/CSPIAMwW0n

— Jett Williams (@jettwilliams04) January 22, 2026

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery may not believe his team are Premier League title contenders – but he is “dreaming” of Europa League glory after reaching the last 16.

Villa defeated Fenerbahce 1-0 in Turkey to ensure a top-eight league-phase finish with a game to spare.

On Sunday, the Spaniard warned Villa are “not top-five contenders” after they lost 1-0 at home to Everton.

Should Villa finish outside the Premier League’s top four – or top five if England is awarded an extra qualifying berth – their only hope of Champions League football next season will be through winning the Europa League.

Former Seville, Arsenal and Paris St-Germain boss Emery has won the Europa League a record four times as manager, last doing so with Villarreal in 2021, and was managing his 100th game in the competition on Thursday.

He told the media “we have clear objectives in this competition to be a contender for a trophy” after his side’s victory in Istanbul.

“[We want] To be a contender in case we need this trophy to play in the Champions League. Through our league [it] is very difficult,” he added.

“I am dreaming to be here getting trophies and the Europa is one objective we have this year.”

Despite being the seventh-most successful club in English football by trophies won, Villa’s last piece of major silverware was the League Cup in 1996.

• Sancho scores first Villa goal to seal last-16 spot
• Who can join Aston Villa in Europa League last 16?

Nice to have manager who backs you – Sancho

Aston Villa are on a superb run of form.

They have won 20 of their past 25 matches (D1, L4) with only Arsenal (21) having won more among teams in Europe’s big-five leagues during that period.

Their blip on Sunday against Everton meant they missed out on the chance to move second, within four points of Premier League leaders Arsenal – Emery’s old club.

He made six changes against Fenerbahce and his side dominated, with the 1-0 scoreline flattering the 28-time Turkish champions.

After the match Emery praised his players for “respecting” the competition, adding he was “so, so happy” with their response.

Villa’s match-winner Jadon Sancho scored his first goal for the club on his 19th appearance since joining on loan from Manchester United in September.

“It’s nice to have a manager that backs you and obviously believes in you,” said the 25-year-old forward who has not played for United since August 2024, and whose contract with them expires this summer.

“He [Emery] just keeps on telling me to be positive every time I play. Every opportunity I get I’m going to try and do 100% and hopefully I can deliver goals.”

Sancho has only started two Premier League games this season, but in the Europa League he has been in Villa’s starting line-up for each of their past five matches.

Villa have played 12 times since the start of December, and by guaranteeing a top-eight league-phase finish avoided a two-legged play-off in February.

Emery still played striker Ollie Watkins for the full 90 minutes on Thursday, and star midfielder Morgan Rogers for 74 minutes.

He was also able to give Tyrone Mings his first start since November, after the defender recovered from a thigh injury.

Amadou Onana, who has been out with a hamstring issue, was also given a late cameo off the bench and is another key player returning.

“[We are] building the team with some circumstances not helping us,” Emery told TNT Sports.

“But next week we can finish the transfer window and hopefully we can get everything we need to complete the squad for the next months and the competitions we have.”

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