Aston Villa now boast two wins from two in the Premier League after a lengthy winless run, having just about got the better of basement club Southampton 1-0 on Saturday.
Jhon Duran was the difference maker for Unai Emery’s men on the day, as the Colombian capped his first start in the top-flight this season with the winner, after he harassed the shaky Saints defence deep into the first 45 minutes before firing home past Joe Lumley.
Whilst everything looks to be rosy again on the pitch, the Villans won’t turn their nose up at a signing or two this January to boost their squad.
Aston Villa looking at "sensational" addition
As per a report by Football Insider, Villa are one of the leading Premier League outfits interested in Chelsea outcast Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues have made their forgotten midfield man available for purchase, with the confident West London club wanting to recoup some of the sizeable £30m they splashed out on the former Leicester City man.
It remains to be seen whether Villa would pursue the 26-year-old on a permanent basis, with the report also stating that Chelsea would be up for loaning Dewsbury-Hall out if a club wasn’t prepared to match that £30m valuation.
Snapping up the Blues flop for that mammoth amount would be a risky move on the end of Villa, but Emery and Co have had success in the past buying stars who have excelled at the King Power Stadium, much like Dewsbury-Hall managed – whilst mainly starring in the Championship – for the Foxes.
The “sensational” midfielder – as he was once labelled by one of his ex-bosses in Brendan Rodgers – could well end up even becoming the next Youri Tielemans for the Premier League side, who has come on leaps and bounds at Villa Park since leaving Leicester behind in 2023.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
How Dewsbury-Hall could be Tielemans 2.0
The Belgian ace has been a stalwart for the Villans in the hustle and bustle of the top flight so far this campaign, with the 27-year-old yet to miss a league clash and for many a valid reason.
Tielemans has four assists next to his name from 15 league clashes to date, and when you delve deeper at his statistics so far, he has also created eight big chances, with the Villa number eight a smooth and stylish operator for his team under pressure.
Dewsbury-Hall also has this same level of flair oozing out from his game when setting up teammates for chances galore, with 14 assists notched up last campaign for Leicester as they romped home to the Championship title.
Alongside that, he also bagged 12 crucial strikes playing all across the central spots, whether that be occupying a holding role like Tielemans is most comfortable in, or being pushed further forward as a number 10.
Games played
31
Goals scored
1
Assists
2
Big chances missed
3
Big chances created
3
Tackles per game
1.7
Duels won per game
4.6
Of course, an obvious area of concern will be the fact the Blues dud has struggled at Stamford Bridge ever since making a cursed £30m move a reality in the summer of 2023.
But, he has only been handed a slim 13 first-team chances, with the table above bringing into the view that he has shown signs of promise in the tough division before, even as Leicester slipped down to the second tier at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Moreover, the Villans have worked wonders with other players who saw their careers fall to the wayside up the league, with Ross Barkley once on the books of Chelsea himself and struggling for opportunities.
Now, he has two goals and one assist from 12 Premier League outings donning a Villa strip, with Dewsbury-Hall surely also keen for a slice of a similar redemptive arc.
Emery and Co might be best placed to operate with caution here and go after Dewsbury-Hall initially on a loan deal, but if this move was to go swimmingly, Villa could win themselves another top performer in the middle of the park.
Sold under Sherwood: Aston Villa star is now among world's best in key area
Aston Villa sold a striker under Tim Sherwood who is one of the best in the world in one key area…
1 ByRoss KilvingtonDec 6, 2024