So far this summer, Aston Villa’s transfer activity has sent strong signals.
Last season, Unai Emery led his team to a fourth-place Premier League finish and Champions League qualifying.
The Birmingham team has made great progress in competing with the top clubs in Europe as they get ready for life in the continent’s premier club tournament.
Although the Brazilian was a reliable presence in central midfield, Douglas Luiz’s departure will be regretted deeply, their summer business has been incredibly successful.
Calum Chambers, Philippe Coutinho (loan), Morgan Sanson, and Luiz have all departed.
Young player Tim Iroegbunam has also left, heading to Everton, while Lewis Dobbin has moved in the other direction.
However, Villa’s incoming transfer activity has been nothing short of superb.
Ian Maatsen is currently their most expensive arrival, following his €44.5 million move from Chelsea. The Dutchman was never given a legitimate first-team chance with the Blues, but he shone on loan at Borussia Dortmund last campaign and played a key role as they reached the Champions League final.
Left-back didn’t appear to be an area of concern for Villa, due to the presence of Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno, however Maatsen is expected to become first-choice.
Furthermore, Emery’s side have added Juventus duo Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea – both of whom are talented players in their own right – as well as Ross Barkley from Luton Town.
Barkley was a standout player under Rob Edwards last year, enjoying a career renaissance in a new deep-lying midfield role. If he is able to replicate that at Villa Park, his €5.9m transfer fee will soon look like a bargain.
Due to a provision that guaranteed his return should Sheffield United be demoted back to the Championship, Cameron Archer has also rejoined the team.
The most intriguing recent additions, meanwhile, are still pending confirmation.
Jaden Philogene was embroiled in an odd transfer dispute with Ipswich Town and Barcelona; nevertheless, Aston Villa has now come to an agreement to re-sign the Hull City winger.
In 32 Championship games during the previous season, the 22-year-old recorded 12 goals and 6 assists; only four players in the English football second division recorded more than his 87 successful takeaways.
Additionally, David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Aston Villa is close to paying €60 million to acquire Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.
Over the previous 12 months, Onana has been linked to Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea, but none of them have been able to sign him.
Newcastle United and Bayern Munich were also interested, but Villa has moved ahead of the game and will sign the Belgium international for a respectable amount.
By all means, €60 million is not a little chunk of money; last summer, Chelsea paid €116 million for Moises Caicedo, while the Blues paid €62.1 million for Romeo Lavia, who has only played one season of professional football.
In addition, Villa is adding the ideal talent to strengthen their midfield. Physically, Onana is 6 feet 4 inches tall, very strong, and has a great deal of endurance.
While there are some questions about his skill with the ball, they are largely unfounded, as the Belgian is unquestionably brilliant while in control of the ball. His defensive acumen is also excellent.
Onana will increase Villa’s aerial threat from set pieces, but he is a ball-winning specialist who finished 25th in the Premier League last season in tackles.
Although the Belgian lacks Luiz’s controller-in-possession ability, he is a fantastic complement for international teammate Youri Tielemans, and the two might create a potent double pivot together in the upcoming campaign.
At first, it appeared that Villa’s choices in the center of the park would be significantly limited by Luiz’s departure. Onana, Tielemans, Barkley, John McGinn, and Boubacar Kamara make up a very potent midfield core, though, and they will offer Emery plenty of choices in any competition.Aston Villa made a great financial decision by signing Onana, demonstrating their readiness to compete regularly with the “big six” teams in the Premier League.
Onana would have made Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United all better, and Villa will be a formidable force once more in the upcoming campaign.
FOR MORE NEWS ON ROYALSPORT24.COM
Leave a Reply