Defender Kosta Nedeljkovic is expected to join Aston Villa from Crvena Zvezda for an initial fee of £6.5 million; he will play for the Serbian team until the summer before moving to Villa Parl. This will be Villa Parl’s first acquisition of the January transfer window.
Even while it’s not the big name supporters were hoping for, it demonstrates that Unai Emery is planning ahead and looking at 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.
A lot will depend on his ability to clear some space by getting a few players to leave initially.
The former Arsenal manager obviously needs to add another attacking option to his team, and the most recent name to be linked to a Villa move is a current Premier League striker.
According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea are willing to selling forward Armando Broja this month, with Villa one of the teams who are showing interest in the Albanian.
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 skills.
Villa’s interest is contingent upon whether they make a bid for Jhon Duran, who the Blues are rumoured to be keen on bringing to London, either this month or during the summer transfer window.
Could Villa and Chelsea engage in a transfer merry-go-round over the next few weeks? Time will tell.
Broja may end up being the Midlands team’s Tammy Abraham, therefore it might be a smart move to entice him north.
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.
But whatever progress he was hoping to make at the Blues has been thwarted by a significant knee injury; since the 2022–2023 season began, he has only played 35 games and scored three goals.
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 attacking penalty area touches 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 across a variety of metrics, even with his limited playing time.
These qualities would undoubtedly help Watkins, and Emery would have another dependable offensive option going into a crucial few months for the team.
The Midlands outfit have an ideal chance to end a trophy drought stretching back to 1996 between now and May and adding a couple of quality players to their team this month is vital.
Broja may not be in the best of form this season, but as Emery has proven, he can get a tune out just about anyone and he could sign Villa’s next Abraham by luring the youngster from the Blues in the next week or so.
Leave a Reply