Unai Emery is leading Aston Villa into an illustrious future. Over the past few years, the Premier League outfit has gone from strength to strength, rising from its struggling spot at the floor of the English top flight and enjoying football on the continent.
Qualifying for the Conference League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign was a momentous moment for a club on the rise, but Villa simply had a taste of success and wanted more.
Now, last season's top-four finish has opened up a world of opportunity, and despite the need to swerve PSR sticking points, cashing in on Douglas Luiz to avoid a financial penalty, the Lions have been active in the market, making a wealth of signings.
Of course, Moussa Diaby's proposed sale to Al-Ittihad is the current story at Villa Park, but Monchi has already identified the dream replacement and is hoping to hijack a top European side's move to bring him in.
Aston Villa transfer news
According to TEAMtalk – as reported earlier this week – Aston Villa have held talks with Nico Williams as they incredibly plot to hijack Barcelona's £46m deal for the Spain star.
The Athletic Bilbao winger has been one of football's hottest commodities after lighting Euro 2024 up en route to winning the trophy, and Villa are seeking to exploit their newfound position in the Champions League to turn the odds in their favour.
With Diaby moving to the Saudi Pro League for around £60m, the coin is in the purse to move ahead with this stunning signing.
What Nico Williams would bring to Aston Villa
Even the most optimistic of Aston Villa supporters might raise an eyebrow at their club's chance of pipping Barcelona and the like to Williams' signing, but the groundwork has been paved.
In January 2023, Villa failed to entice a teenage Williams to move to the Premier League despite meeting his release clause, and while that attempt was botched, it could hold sway as they look to go again.
Matches played
6
Matches started
6
Goals
2
Assists
1
Pass completion
90%
Key passes per game
2.2
Ball recoveries per game
3.8
Dribbles per game
2.2
Duels won per game
3.3
He was a superstar for his nation, though frankly, this was just a continuation of the efforts made for Bilbao over the past year, notching 27 goal contributions from 37 fixtures across all competitions last season, instrumental as the Basque side ended a 40-year trophy drought as they conquered the Copa del Rey.
As per FBref, he ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues last season for assists, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting the imperious athletic ability that journalist Antonio Mango has described as "mind-blowing".
It's so impressive, in fact, that Williams' 3.42 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year rocket above that of Manchester City's Jack Grealish, who employs one of the silkiest ball-carrying games in Europe, though averaged 1.40 per 90 of the same metric.
Grealish, moreover, succeeded with 62% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League last term but averaged 0.9 per game. While this is principally due to the system that Pep Guardiola implements, restricting such freedom of movement, it's hard to argue against Williams on current ranking – especially when considering that the 21-year-old averaged 2.8 dribbles per outing in La Liga.
Signed, he would unquestionably walk right into Emery's starting 11, and while this would come at the expense of Morgan Rogers' hopes to solidify a regular starting berth, it would only serve to lift Villa even higher in their fight to reach the pinnacle of European football.
How Williams compares to Morgan Rogers
Villa signed Rogers, 21, in a deal rising to £16m in January, plucking the talented winger from Middlesbrough after being coloured impressed by his electric, snappy performances. A product of Man City's unrelenting academy belt, the England U21 international "developed hugely in less than three months" following his move – as per The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell – now a crucial part of Emery's first-team plans.
Rogers scored three goals and added an assist in the Premier League last season, starting eight times, and caught the eye with his dribbling skills, averaging 1.5 per game.
His tactical fluidity is a big bonus. He's nicely rounded, creative and combative, ranking among the top 8% of positional peers for assists and the top 17% for tackles per 90, but he's simply not on Williams' level, who eclipses him in both regards. Take note of the Spaniard's aforementioned goal contributions.
This is not to say that signing Williams would preclude the £20k-per-week winger's chances of succeeding in the Midlands, rather, relegate him to a second-class standing on the flank, albeit with plenty of time and opportunity to make his mark and continue his remarkable rise.
Let's not forget, having sanctioned Diaby's sale and previously swerved the ire of PSR after cashing in on Luiz and academy graduates Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman, such a deal is firmly within the realm of possibility.
Villa, if there is a chance to do so, have to sign Williams this summer. It could be the watershed moment in Emery's quest to take the club back to the most golden of one-time glory days.
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3 ByCharlie SmithJul 18, 2024