Aston Villa’s 3-2 win over Burnley was far from convincing, but the three points put them second in the Premier League.
Unai Emery’s squad is slightly thin due to injuries, which has prevented the boss from rotating over the busy Christmas period.
Therefore, Villa will look to bolster their side in January by signing a midfielder who has been described as a “wonderful player” by his current boss, Brendan Rodgers.
Aston Villa could repeat McGinn masterclass
According to a report from Sky Sports last month, Aston Villa have been keeping an eye on Matt O’Riley, sending scouts to watch his Champions League matches.
However, Emery’s side will have to battle against European giants such as Inter Milan to acquire his services.
The Dane is contracted to Celtic until 2027, and it is rumoured they will only entertain a fee above £25m.
Matt O’Riley’s style of play
Aston Villa could repeat their John McGinn masterclass by signing another left-footed young midfielder from the Scottish Premier League this January.
The Villa captain left Hibernian in 2018 for just £2m, and the recruitment team will be hoping that O’Riley can follow a similar success path to the Scotland international, who has become a Villans legend over the years.
O'Riley has already proved he has plenty of quality over the last two seasons, but he has been particularly immense since August. In just 27 games across all competitions this campaign, the midfielder, who is deployed on the right of a 4-3-3, has scored and assisted an impressive nine goals – 18 in total.
The 23-year-old has also impressed in Europe this season, and the table below shows a handful of statistics from his Champions League campaign and how they compare to positional peers in that competition.
Assists
0.56
Top 7%
Shot-creating actions
4.07
Top 18%
Key Passes
2.78
Top 8%
Progressive passes received
5.37
Top 12%
Tackles
2.59
Top 17%
Dribblers Tackled
1.67
Top 9%
As you can see, the number 33 is the definition of a box-to-box midfielder – similar to the aforementioned McGinn – but he likes to influence the game in the final third by passing and crossing into the box from the right using his left foot, while also taking set piece responsibility. The Danish international acts as the connector between attack and defence.
Creativity is arguably O’Riley’s biggest strength, but he is also extremely strong out of possession, which is the type of player Emery likes to have in his hard-working yet dangerous midfield. The Hoops ace is a tenacious tackler who works tirelessly to regain possession for his side. This is important when stopping a counterattack, as highlighted by his high dribblers tackled stat.
Furthermore, O’Riley’s 6 foot 2 physical profile would also enhance Villa, as they currently lack an athletic, ground-covering monster. With McGinn, Douglas Luiz, and Youri Tielemans all being under 6 foot, the Celtic star would bring some much-needed height and transition-stopping traits that the side slightly lacks.
Overall, signing a player from Scotland has previously been a success for Villa, and it is difficult to see O’Riley not performing if he were to move to the Premier League. Emery’s approach would suit the Dane’s style of play, and he seems like a bargain for around £25m.