BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa moved to strengthen its unlikely Premier League title challenge by signing former England striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas for a reported $25 million on Tuesday.
Abraham was previously at Villa on loan in 2018-19 when he helped the club earn promotion to England's top flight.
He returns to a Villa team that is third in the standings and challenging for its first league title since 1981.
“We’ve got a good team, a good squad. I don’t think it’s out of reach to say we can push for every competition we’re in,” Abraham said. “I’m here and I want to win. I want to win trophies, so we have to push for every competition we’re in. I’m excited, I just can’t wait.”
The 28-year-old Abraham came through Chelsea's academy and went on to join Roma in Italy. He also had a loan spell at AC Milan last season before joining Besiktas.
He will offer more depth to Villa's attack, following the departure of Donyell Malen this month.
Villa is four points behind league leader Arsenal and still competing in the Europa League and FA Cup.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - AC Milan's Tammy Abraham celebrates after he scored his side's first goal during an Italian Cup semi final first leg soccer match between AC Milan and Inter Milan at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Starbucks reported strong fiscal first quarter as holiday drinks and a viral bear cup helped drive sales.
Same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – rose 4% for the October-December period. That was higher than the 2.3% that Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
There was a 3% increase in transactions and a 1% increase in spending per visit. That was the best U.S. performance for the company in two years.
Shares of the Seattle coffee giant jumped more than 9% before the opening bell Wednesday.
Revenue rose 6% to $9.9 billion for the quarter, also beating Wall Street expectations for $9.65 billion.
Starbucks had been hoping that a strong holiday would reintroduce many customers to its stores, where it is trying to improve service by adding staff and equipment and creating a warmer, more welcoming environment. But even Starbucks was startled by customer demand for its $29.95 glass bear-shaped cups, which sold out almost immediately after they were introduced in November.
The store revamps have been costly for the company, which said its margins have been pressured by investments in labor as well as tariffs on coffee.
Adjusted for one-time items, Starbucks earned 56 cents per share in the quarter. That was lower than the 59-cent profit Wall Street was expecting.
Starbucks U.S. traffic was up despite a strike by more than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers, who hoped to disrupt Starbucks’ Red Cup Day, which is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year. Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink. The strike closed some stores, but only briefly.
FILE - The "Siren" logo hangs outside a Starbucks Coffee shop, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
