Pundit Micah Richards has advised Aston Villa to sign Villarreal striker Ben Brereton Diaz at Villa Park.
When it comes to Aston Villa’s 2024 winter transfer window at Villa Park, transfer insider Dean Jones is taking into consideration commentator Micah Richards’ assertion that the team needs to “make more of a statement” than sign Villarreal striker Ben Brereton Diaz.
With a strong start to the 2023–24 Premier League season, Unai Emery’s Villans team has guaranteed their place in the Europa Conference League’s round of 16, having won their group.
Sensing a unique opportunity that might not come around again, Villa may try to strengthen their chances of making it into the 2024–25 Champions League by entering the January market. After finding it difficult to adjust to life at Villarreal after joining La Liga in the summer transfer window of 2023, Brereton Diaz may become available on the market; he has yet to score for the team.
Aston Villa looking to strengthen their Premier League chances
Few people would have expected Aston Villa to be firmly in a Premier League title race heading into the Christmas period of the 2023/24 season. However, the Villans keep improving under Emery after the former Arsenal head coach took over from Steven Gerrard towards the end of 2022.
Emery has taken Villa from relegation candidates to Europa Conference League competitors, and the West Midlands outfit will feel they have a fantastic chance of at least finishing in the Premier League’s top four and subsequently securing qualification for next term’s Champions League. However, Villa may need to strengthen during the 2024 winter transfer window to sustain their impressive form.
Top scorer Ollie Watkins has been crucial to the West Midlands giants’ success, but they may feel that their centre-forward options behind the England international are limited. Villa’s only out-and-out striker in the event of a Watkins injury or suspension would be Jhon Duran. The 20-year-old offers relatively little experience compared to Watkins, having only joined the club from Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire at the start of 2023.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast on 13th December, ex-Villa defender and pundit Richards suggested that Villa should sign Villarreal’s Brereton Diaz in January:
“You know who I’m going to go with, someone left field, and you guys probably haven’t seen him play. No disrespect, because we don’t watch a lot of the Championship. We’re always working, so we see the highlights but don’t always see the games. Someone like Brereton Diaz, who was at Blackburn. Someone who’s just below a level, that’s what I’m trying to say.”
Journalist Ben Jacobs has recently told GIVEMESPORT (3rd December) that Brereton Diaz could be a name to watch at Leeds United ahead of the winter transfer window.
Dean Jones on Brereton Diaz to Aston Villa
Jones thinks a move for Brereton Diaz, who is rumored to make £29,000 a week, would be odd, but it’s not a bad idea for Villa to explore making a bid for him. According to the journalist, the team needs a new player to bolster the group and demonstrate that they are “heading in a certain direction.” Smith stated to GIVEMESPORT:
It’s not the usual one. Looking at Brereton Diaz or a player of his caliber isn’t always a bad idea, in my opinion. However, Aston Villa’s current situation might see them surprisingly leading the league come Christmas. Even though it may come as a surprise, if you find yourself in that situation, you’ll likely want to create a bigger impression than signing Brereton Diaz. Although that may sound disrespectful, that isn’t the case. It all comes down to motivating the team and giving them a sense of purpose.
READ NEXT:
Leave a Reply