Villa midfield is the centre of attention for January transfer window
DESPITE Villa’s hopeless run of form, conversations are continuing behind the scenes at Bodymoor Heath in terms of the January transfer window.
Sporting director and transfer instigator Johan Lange has been busy adding to his data-driven recruitment team with Arjav Trivedi joining Villa’s new football research department as a data scientist where he’ll work alongside head of research Frederic Leth who joined back in February.
Trivedi, formerly of Arsenal and most-recently FIFA, will help Villa’s transfer committee make evidencebased decisions. Ahead of the winter window, Lange is continuing to work alongside head of recruitment Rob Mackenzie and here are a number of decisions that are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
Midfielder the priority
Lange is a stats man and he’ll be alarmed at a few I’ll throw your way now. Villa have put in the fewest tackles in the Premier League this season, while they’re 19th for pressures, shotcreating actions, key passes and total running distance, with only struggling Spurs running less.
Villa have won just 48 per cent of their aerial duels as well, which aligns with Smith’s comments after Arsenal when he said: “When a ball is thrown up between two of my players and they don’t go and compete for it, that’s not about systems, that’s about not playing well and not being ready for the match whatever system you play.”
To most, Villa’s shortfalls at the back have been down to the midfield department being all too easy to play against as we’ve witnessed for weeks now.
Attention has shifted back to addressing the problem now with Emi
Buendia struggling to make an impact in a central position.
There’s hope Morgan Sanson can finally come good once he’s over his injury and illness issues but Villa are keen to bolster their engine room in the winter.
There’s also the fact that Marvelous Nakamba will miss a cluster of fixtures over this period due to his involvement with Zimbabwe at the Africa Cup of Nations which begins on January 9.
African players are, though, expected to leave from as early as December 20 onwards in preparation, with Bertrand Traore also in action for Burkina Faso. The pair could miss up to six Premier League games and two FA Cup matches providing Villa progress into the fourth round.
A new, combative and aggressive midfielder is what Villa are looking for in January with scouting ongoing.
Villa keen on Hickey
It is understood that Villa remain hot on 19-year-old left-back Aaron Hickey who’s currently starring for Bologna in Serie A.
Hickey was of interest back in the summer of 2020 before he opted to move to Italy from Hearts for £1.5million.
The teenager, seen as the next Andy Robertson or Kieran Tierney, is admired by Villa’s set-piece coach Austin MacPhee who worked with him at
Hearts.
Villa were keen to take Hickey this summer but opted to bring in the vastly-experienced Ashley Young instead as like-for-like competition for Matt Targett following Neil Taylor’s departure.
Villa now want to press ahead by bringing in a left-back with Hickey top of Lange’s shopping list.
He’s currently valued at just over £7m.
A deal will, however, be more likely struck at the end of the season.
Davis finally seal loan switch
To what’s a nailed-on arrangement now and that’s Keinan Davis heading out on a much-needed loan deal in January.
The Championship will be the 23-year-old’s destination after seeing a move to Stoke collapse earlier in the summer due to injury.
Davis was a cut above League One opponents MK Dons in the EFL Trophy last week and, at long last, he’ll get to prove himself on a consistent basis as Villa begin to sound out the appropriate club for him with Swansea, Stoke and others keen.
Aaron Ramsey and Jaden Philogene-Bidace are two others who could be loaned out.
Key contract calls
To contract decisions now and the futures of Kortney Hause and Cameron Archer will be ironed out in January. Hause’s current deal expires in a little over seven months’ time in June 2022 and it’s the same regarding 10-goal hot-shot Archer.
Villa have an option to extend centre-back Hause’s stay by another year which they’re yet to trigger with Villa continuing to scout young, upcoming centre-backs ahead of refreshing that department within the next year or two.
As for Archer, his excellent rise will see him sign a new extension. Ashley Young is also currently contracted to June 2022, while Axel Tuanzebe’s loan will finish at the end of the season as planned.
El Ghazi, Trezeguet & Douglas Luiz
To three players signed upon promotion and conversations remain ongoing over the futures of Anwar El Ghazi, Douglas Luiz and Trezeguet, with the latter expected to return from his knee injury in the new year.
Smith and his coaching staff will assess Trezeguet in January ahead of what will be a likely five-month loan away to gain some much-needed match minutes.
As for El Ghazi, Villa will look to see if there are any interested parties in January this time around should the Dutchman continue to be out of favour. Villa, though, will wait for fellow winger Traore to return from the Africa Cup of Nations before making a final decision over El Ghazi’s immediate future.
And lastly, Douglas Luiz has been decent value once again this season. Should form
improve and continue then a new deal is expected to be in the offing.