Emery now eyeing “extraordinary” ace for Aston Villa after previous interest
Aston Villa look to have identified a key target heading into the January transfer window…
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has presided over a fantastic start to the campaign at Villa Park and has now reportedly identified a key target ahead of the January transfer window.
Aston Villa’s lofty ambitions…
Undoubtedly, the Villans are a completely different proposition this time round from where they were just a year ago as they now look primed for a tilt at trying to bring Champions League football to Villa Park.
Spanish coach Emery deserves an immense amount of credit for the progression he has managed to unearth in the West Midlands; however, Aston Villa’s recruitment team have worked hard behind the scenes to bring some extremely talented players to the club, which has coincided with their rapid rise from relegation contenders to currently being situated fourth in the Premier League table.
Amassing 29 points from 14 encounters is a commendable return from the Villans, who find themselves only four points off league leaders Arsenal heading into a congested run of fixtures that will take place over the course of the Christmas period.
Intriguingly, Aston Villa will take on Manchester City and Arsenal this week in quick succession at Villa Park, with both matches likely to indicate how far they can take their lofty ambitions this term by comparing themselves against two of Europe’s in-form sides. Manchester United and Chelsea may be slightly more realistic comparisons to Emery’s men; however, Mark Bosnich, who played for both clubs, has indicated that he expects the Villans to finish above both clubs, saying:
“I know they had the draw on the weekend against Bournemouth but I thought overall they were again a little bit unfortunate that the disallowed goal they had, I think that would have turned them.”
“But I think Unai Emery, you look at his record in this calendar year, second only to Manchester City. So I think Aston Villa definitely will finish above those teams you mentioned (Manchester United and Chelsea).”
On the transfer front, Emery is now reportedly lining up a move for a La Liga star to bolster his options in the final third ahead of the second portion of the campaign.
Aston Villa keen on Abde Ezzalzouli
According to FootballTransfers, Aston Villa have identified Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli as a primary target for the January transfer window after previously targeting the Morocco international in the summer. The report states that Emery has personally scoped out the 21-year-old as a key target to help fill the left-sided forward role in his side and is eager for a deal to materialise.
Nevertheless, there could be a key obstacle to the move that involves the Villans’ President of Football Operations Monchi. Strained relations are believed to exist between Real Betis and the 55-year-old due to an incident in 2022 where he entered the pitch to celebrate a victory over Sevilla in a derby match.
Labelled “extraordinary” by Barcelona boss Xavi, Abde has helped to offer an offensive threat in La Liga this term, taking on around 1.5 shots per match. (Abde statistics – WhoScored)
Come the New Year, adding another source of variety on the left flank could prove to be a masterstroke by Emery as he looks to secure continental qualification in the West Midlands.
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