Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is reportedly keen on a number of targets as he weighs up the possibilities to bolster his attacking options.
Villa have signed Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran so far this month, with the latter expected to be gradually integrated given he’s still just 19 years of age and remains inexperienced at the top level.
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While it’s hoped that he can make a significant contribution this season, after Villa opted to sell Danny Ings to West Ham last week, that does leave Emery short on options up front with the main responsibility now falling on Ollie Watkins.
The likes of Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey will provide support and versatility in terms of where they can operate in Emery’s XI, but it’s suggested that the Villa boss is still keen on bringing in reinforcements.
As per The Athletic, both Gerard Deulofeu and Hakim Ziyech are on Emery’s radar, as he is said to be drawn by their ability to play in various roles across frontline and so that tactical flexibility and versatility is seemingly a big appeal.
Further, it’s suggested that Emery is fond of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after their time working together at Arsenal, and that could be a possible option that we explore further in the summer.
Moving away from the attacking line, it’s also reported that signing a midfielder is still on our agenda after Morgan Sanson’s loan exit to Strasbourg, but a move for Matteo Guendouzi isn’t close despite reports elsewhere suggesting otherwise.
That’s a mixed bag in truth as given Aubameyang will turn 34 this summer and has managed just three goals and one assist in 18 appearances so far this season, that doesn’t feel like a smart investment given the potential fee and salary involved too.
Further, it would make little sense having just sold Ings, and so we’re surely looking to add more youthful options to the squad to complement what we already.
In contrast, the likes of Deulofeu and Ziyech would be exciting additions, not only in terms of the creative quality that they could provide if Emery was to get the best out of them, but their versatility would certainly be useful and add a different dynamic to the Villa attack.
Emery has spoken about wanting different profiles of players to give him different types of options to use in various scenarios to win games, and that duo would certainly provide him with more creativity and technical ability.
In turn, while it’s unclear as to how accurate the touted interest is, it’s a hard pass on Aubameyang, but Villa would undoubtedly raise the level and improve what we already have with the additions of the likes of Deulofeu, Ziyech and Guendouzi, if deals can be done.