Emery can land Aston Villa’s next Abraham in move for £40m gem.
Kosta Nedeljkovic, a defender for Crvena Zvezda, is expected to sign with Aston Villa for an initial amount of £6.5 million. He will play for the Serbian team until the summer before moving to Villa Park. This will be Villa Villa’s first acquisition of the January transfer window.
Even while it’s not the big name fans are hoping for, it demonstrates that Unai Emery is planning ahead and investigating markets that could be profitable for the Midlands team.
The Spanish manager will be eager to acquire a player or two who could strengthen his starting lineup with less than two weeks left in the winter transfer window, and the team has recently been connected to a number of names.
Much will depend on whether he can move a few players out the door firstly, in order to free up some space.
It is clear that the former Arsenal boss needs to add another attacking option to his squad and a current Premier League striker is the latest name to be linked with a move to Villa…
Aston Villa’s search for a striker
The Evening Standard reports that Villa is among the teams expressing interest in forward Armando Broja, who is available for sale by Chelsea this month.
However, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, and Fulham are all vying for his services in an attempt to increase their attacking options. They are not the only team interested in the player.
The Stamford Bridge team values Broja at approximately £50 million, but the teams that are pursuing him have a somewhat higher value on him—between £30 and £40 million—which may be a better reflection of his skill set.
Villa’s interest depends on whether they move on Jhon Duran – either this month or during the summer transfer window – and the Blues are reportedly keen on bringing him to London.
Could the next couple of weeks see a transfer merry-go-round occur between Villa and Chelsea? Only time will tell.
If the Midlands side do lure Broja north, he could be their next Tammy Abraham and it could be a wise move.
Tammy Abraham shone for Villa during his loan spell
The English striker made the move to Villa in the summer of 2018 on a season-long loan deal as he looked to give the club the required firepower to end their stay in the Championship.
He said upon his arrival: “Aston Villa are a big club that belongs in the Premier League and I’m here to help them achieve that.”
The centre-forward certainly played his part. Across 40 games for the club, he netted 26 goals, which included one in the playoff semi-final against West Bromwich Albion, and he led Villa back to the promised land of the Premier League.
His clinical nature in the penalty area led him to become a favourite among the supporters during his temporary spell, despite having to return to Chelsea at the end of the season.
Emery could land Villa their next Abraham should they convince Broja that a move to Villa is the best step for his career and if he can replicate the form he displayed during a loan spell at Southampton in 2021/22, it would be an excellent move.
Armando Broja shone for Southampton
After he scored 11 goals in all competitions during his productive loan stint at Dutch team Vitesse Arnhem in 2020–21, the Blues wanted him to get some experience near them.
Prior to 2021/22, Broja moved to the Saints, where he spent the entire season adjusting to life in the top division. He scored six goals for the team (a total of nine), and he appeared to only become better with more playing time.
During that campaign, the youngster ranked third among the squad for goals and assists in the Premier League (six) along with ranking fourth for successful dribbles per game (one) and third for shots on target per game (0.7), suggesting that he was among one of their finer attacking options.
His recent spell back at Chelsea has not been the most productive and a fresh start could give him the confidence to return to the levels he displayed on the south coast a few seasons ago.
What Armando Broja can offer Aston Villa
When he first arrived at Southampton, talent scout Jacek Kulig referred to him as a “clinical finisher.” His skill in the opposition penalty area is undeniable.
He has only featured in 35 games since the start of the 2022–2023 season, scoring just three goals, which has halted any development he was hoping to make at the Blues due to a significant knee injury.
Although he wouldn’t replace Ollie Watkins if he moved to Villa, Emery frequently uses a 4-4-2 formation, thus Broja might be positioned next to the Englishman.
WhoScored reports that the 22-year-old striker frequently dribbles, has a strong counterattacking ability, and makes a lot of short passes. Should the two play together, this could help him connect well with Watkins.
In addition, Broja currently ranks in the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90 (2.58), the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (6.94), and the top 1% for pass completion percentage per 90 (88.3%) when compared to positional peers in similar leagues. These stats show how impressive he has been despite playing limited minutes.
These qualities would undoubtedly help Watkins, and Emery would have another dependable offensive option going into a crucial few months for the team.
Between now until May, the Midlands team has a great opportunity to snap a trophy drought that dates back to 1996, therefore adding a few quality players to the squad this month is essential.
Even if Broja hasn’t been playing at his best this season, Emery has shown that he can play any player, so in the coming week or so, he might be able to entice the young player from the Blues to sign with Villa.
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