Aston Villa can have an thrilling marketing campaign arising within the 2024/25 marketing campaign. They managed to qualify for the Champions League because of their spectacular performances final season and have been typically one of many Premier League’s most fun sides to look at final time period.
Their fourth-place end within the high flight was bettered solely by Manchester Metropolis, Arsenal and Liverpool. They ended up ending with 68 factors, two factors forward of Tottenham Hotspur, who might solely end fifth within the Europa League place.
Certainly, they overachieved on their factors tally, in accordance with Understat’s anticipated factors desk. As per that metric, the Villans ought to have ended the season on 55 factors, which was 12 factors worse than their precise complete. That will have seen them end seventh within the Premier League in accordance with the anticipated factors desk.
Nonetheless, it was a memorable marketing campaign for the Midlands aspect, who recorded their greatest season because the 1995/96 Premier League marketing campaign. That has ensured their Champions League qualification for subsequent season, with their return to Europe’s elite greeted by a new-look format of the competitors.
With the switch window now open, the Villans will likely be hoping to recruit gamers who can strengthen their squad as they push for achievement in each home and continental soccer. They’ve just lately been linked with one participant who might improve their attacking high quality.
Villa goal La Liga attacker
The participant in query right here is Atletico Madrid and Portugal attacker Joao Felix. It has been a difficult few seasons in Madrid for the Portuguese, and he might effectively depart the membership this summer time.
Based on reviews in Spain, by way of TEAMtalk, Villans are ‘one membership within the combine’ to signal Felix this summer time, with Villa believed to be ‘plotting’ a transfer to signal the attacker.
Nonetheless, they won’t be the one aspect vying to signal Felix this summer time. Based on the report, Felix needs to remain at Barcelona, the place he performed final season, whether or not or not they will afford to pay the £50m wanted for him completely.
Nonetheless, if Villa do resolve to go down the everlasting switch route, then there is perhaps a scenario the place they drive Atleti to promote Felix, as a substitute of loaning him again to Barca. That is strengthened by the Madrid membership’s desperation to make some form of a refund on such a disappointing switch in the long term.
Why Felix can be a very good signing
Extremely, Joao Felix’s £111m switch from Benfica to Atleti again in 2019 is the fifth costliest signing of all time. It could be an unimaginable coup for Villa, as Emery would hope to play a component in rebuilding the profession of a participant with a lot potential.
Final season for Barcelona, Felix performed 44 instances, scoring ten targets and registering six assists. That included ten purpose involvements in 30 La Liga video games for the Spanish giants. Felix has additionally had a spell in England, with Chelsea, and scored simply 4 Premier League targets in 16 outings.
Soccer expertise scout Jacek Kulig referred to as the attacker in 2021 an “absolute nightmare for defenders”, and given his very good dribbling means, it’s not onerous to see why. In reality, taking part in as a quantity 10, he might kind a wonderful partnership with star man Ollie Watkins.
Underneath Emery, we might see the England worldwide line up alongside Felix within the Spaniard’s famed 4-2-2-2 system. The strikers in Emery’s system are instructed to run the channels relentlessly, trying to get in behind and thus vacating area for the 2 quantity 10s, which we might see Felix occupy.
With this in thoughts, the Portugal worldwide may very well be a lethal choice to play in behind Watkins, given he’s such an exquisite ball service. In La Liga final season, the 24-year-old averaged 3.10 carries into the ultimate third and 1.81 carries into the penalty field per 90 minutes, which locations him within the high 13% and 16% of positionally related gamers in Spain’s high flight, as per FBref.
|
Felix carrying stats La Liga 2023/24 |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Quantity |
|
Progressive carries |
4.03 |
|
Carries into ultimate third |
3.10 |
|
Carries into penalty field |
1.81 |
|
Take-ons tried |
5.20 |
|
Take-ons accomplished |
1.69 |
|
Stats from FBref |
|
A carry is taken into account progressive if the ball is moved in the direction of the opponent’s purpose at the very least 10 yards from its start line or is carried into the penalty space.
Given the 24-year-old’s carrying means, which Emery likes in his quantity 10s, he is usually a dream choice to play behind Watkins. His distinctive dribbling expertise, plus his eye for purpose, means he can kind an excellent mixture with the England worldwide who was the Premier League’s main assist-maker final season.
Emery has the prospect to revive the profession of one of many sport’s best wonderkids. Be it a mortgage or a everlasting deal, maybe Villa Park might be the place Felix will get his profession again on monitor.
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