Aston Villa have had an electrifying start to the 2023/24 campaign, as Unai Emery continues to inject added quality into his squad at Villa Park.
The Spaniard took just a year ago, and Villa haven’t looked back, highlighted by them picking up where they left off last season in their 7th-place finish in the Premier League.
From performing in Europe to sitting a point outside of the top four in the league table, the Villans are building something special with Emery, however, reports suggest that the former Arsenal boss is far from finished in the market.
Latest Aston Villa transfer news
As the January window approaches, Villa have been linked with a host of players, particularly ones that could bolster the Midlands side’s options in the final third.
One name that has been mentioned by media in Portugal, relayed by Sport Witness, is former Wolves forward Pedro Goncalves, who was prolific for Sporting CP last season by recording 35 goal contributions in 51 appearances.
Another potential acquisition in the winter window is Emery’s former talent at Arsenal, Dani Ceballos, who was linked to the Villans in the summer.
A report by DefensaCentral has claimed that Villa may be willing to offer between €15m (£13m) and €18m (£16m) for his services, as he struggles to secure game time at Real Madrid.
In other news, Ceballos is not the only target for Emery from the Bernabeu, as a report from Sport, relayed by BirminghamLive, explains that Villa are one of the clubs interested in Brahim Diaz.
The 24-year-old playmaker is said to be valued at €20m (£17m) by Los Blancos, who according to Sport, would be “happy” to sell the sporadic talent in the coming window.
Brahim Diaz could be the perfect Nicolo Zaniolo replacement
Once lauded as a “lethal” asset by journalist Maxi Angelo, Diaz could arrive at Villa already installed with the critical trait of having experience in playing in England.
The Spaniard is a product of Manchester City’s academy, where he developed for five years before returning to his homeland to sign for Madrid.
The versatile forward made 15 senior appearances for City under Pep Guardiola, with his insight into the game in England making him a potentially strong target for Villa to chase.
In Zaniolo, Emery equipped his side with an equally versatile spark to fill the void left by Emiliano Buendia’s injury, however, the Italian has had a slow start to life in the Midlands, in an area that Diaz could thrive in.
The Malaga-born gem, who has been on loan at AC Milan for the past three seasons, is an expert creator, as portrayed by his seven assists and 11 big chances created in Serie A in the 2022/23 campaign, as well as averaging 1.2 key passes per game, via Sofascore.
In 2019 during a La Liga contest, journalist Hasan Karim praised Diaz as being a presence that was “lighting up” the game, with one of his most notable strengths being his ball-carrying ability, which is reinforced by his 1.2 successful dribbles per game last term.
Diaz vs Zaniolo 2023/24 respective league form
Brahim Diaz
Nicolo Zaniolo
Appearances
8
7
Starts
1
4
Minutes per game
18
48
Goals
1
0
Passing accuracy per game
84%
73%
Big chances created
1
0
Via Sofascore
Zaniolo has averaged only 0.7 key passes per game for Villa in the Premier League so far, as well as maintaining a frail pass completion rate of 73%, suggesting that he is yet to find his feet in England after his summer move.
In acquiring the Real Madrid ace, Emery could bolster his team with a presence to compete with Zaniolo, in a player that is statistically comparable to Premier League wizard, James Maddison, telling of his calibre, via FBref.
Only time will tell if the Villans decide to stick or twist with Zaniolo, however, there would be no harm in exploring the possibility of signing Diaz in January, who could provide more creativity in an attacking midfield position, as shown by his aforementioned statistics.