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There’s no two ways about it, Aston Villa have been immense this season under Unai Emery, developing into a side that clubs fear.
Villa picked up their second victory in a week yesterday, as they defeated Middlesbrough 1-0 on the road to progress in the FA Cup for the first time since 2016.
Premier League Top Four |
Matches |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
Points |
GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Liverpool |
20 |
13 |
6 |
1 |
45 |
25 |
2. Aston Villa |
20 |
13 |
3 |
4 |
42 |
16 |
3. Man City |
19 |
12 |
4 |
3 |
40 |
24 |
4. Arsenal |
20 |
12 |
4 |
4 |
40 |
17 |
Despite being second in the Premier League, the Spaniard is still keen to strengthen his squad in January as they push for silverware.
Aston Villa transfers latest – Kelechi Iheanacho
According to reports from Football Insider just before Christmas, Aston Villa are interested in signing Kelechi Iheanacho, who has been labelled as a “deadly finisher” by Colin Udoh of ESPN.
The Nigerian’s contract runs out in the summer, and Villa believe that a fee of £5m-£10m would secure his services this January.
Talks over a contract extension at the Foxes have hit a brick wall, meaning a move is likely to occur this winter.
![Aston Villa could send Duran packing by signing £10m “deadly finisher” 1 Premier League Trophy-1](https://i0.wp.com/static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/premier-league-trophy-1.jpg?resize=814%2C407&ssl=1)
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Iheanacho’s style of play
With Jhon Duran reportedly unhappy with his lack of minutes at Villa, rumours have begun to circulate linking him with a move to AC Milan. The Colombian has featured in 23 matches this campaign, but he has only started seven, with none of those coming in the Premier League.
Therefore, with Iheanacho available on the cheap, Emery may decide to let go of Duran and replace him with the former Manchester City star, who has scored five goals in ten Championship starts this season.
Nonetheless, the table below sums up Ihenacho’s profile by displaying statistics from the last year across the top five European leagues and how he compares to his positional peers.
Iheanacho Stats |
||
---|---|---|
Stats (per 90) |
Iheanacho |
Percentile |
Goals |
0.42 |
Top 45% |
Assists |
0.42 |
Top 1% |
Shot-creating actions |
3.18 |
Top 15% |
Key passes |
1.38 |
Top 20% |
Passes into the final third |
1.91 |
Top 11% |
Progressive carries |
2.54 |
Top 11% |
Successful take-ons |
1.80 |
Top 11% |
Stats via FBref |
The 27-year-old evidently has heaps of quality and an extremely wide skillset that would benefit the Villans massively. What makes Iheanacho stand out among other strikers is his ability to be a creative outlet as well as a goal scorer, which is proved by his shot-creating actions and his assists per 90 minutes.
The number 14 has the vision to execute intricate passes around the box and into the final third, which makes him a weapon against a low block while also being deadly on the break using his quick feet, dribbling, and ball-carrying to slice teams open.
This profile lends itself perfectly to Emery’s system, which includes a second striker who plays just behind Ollie Watkins. The Nigerian and Villa’s top scorer would form a dangerous partnership, combining to devastating effect.
Iheanacho’s creativity would surely elevate Watkins’ game to another level, and his addition could also help the boss with his biggest issue this season, which is facing low blocks, as highlighted recently by the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.
Signing the Foxes’ ace could go on to become one of the bargains of the last few years, and with Emery’s excellent man-management skills, he could turn Iheanacho into a frightening forward. Even if he doesn’t start every game, he would certainly make an impact from the bench and be a player the boss would be able to rely upon to make things happen.
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