Aston Villa are going through a bumpy patch at the moment. Unai Emery’s men haven’t won since a 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League on October 22.
In fact, the Midlands side have lost their previous four matches. It’s hardly a crisis, but something Emery needs to fix sooner rather than later.
The January transfer window is fast approaching. Could the Spaniard be looking to bolster his first team squad when it finally opens?
Aston Villa transfer news
One area that Emery is looking to improve is his midfield, especially if reports are true regarding him making a move for Chelsea gem Kieran Dewsbury-Hall.
As reported earlier this week, Villa have opened talks over a potential loan move for the player this January.
This would include an option to buy, although the Blues would only accept it if the fee was around £30m.
Emery is proposing a lower fee of just under £20m, which could cause the two clubs to negotiate regarding a deal for the midfielder. Dewsbury-Hall has plenty of talent and could add something extra into the Villa midfield, which has stagnated of late.
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Indeed, if he did join, he could be Jack Grealish 2.0.
Why Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be Villa’s next Grealish
Grealish came through the academy at Villa Park before going on to make over 200 appearances for the club, registering an impressive 73 goal contributions in that time.
Manchester City eventually prised him away from the Midlands in 2021, paying a staggering £100m in the process as Villa secured a wonderful profit. Since then, they haven’t quite had an English talent light up the club.
Dewsbury-Hall has the potential to fill that void, that’s for sure. 37 goal contributions for Leicester City across 129 matches is a superb record, especially considering he often played at the heart of the midfield.
Hailed as “sensational” by Brendan Rodgers, the midfielder shone for the Foxes as they claimed the Championship title last term, securing an immediate return to the Premier League in the process.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s Championship stats last term | |
|---|---|
Goals | 12 |
Assists | 14 |
Big chances created | 20 |
Key passes per game | 2.5 |
Total duels won per game | 4.6 |
Successful dribbles per game | 1.3 |
Not only did he create 20 big chances for the club, but the 26-year-old also averaged 2.5 key passes, succeeded with 1.3 dribbles and averaged two shots per game in the second tier last term.
His presence in the midfield helped the club reach their potential under Enzo Maresca and this led the Italian to sign him for Chelsea, joining the Blues during the summer.
Since then, however, he has played just ten matches, including only three in the Premier League, as the Blues’ bloated squad ensures he isn’t getting a consistent run in the starting XI.
At Villa, he could certainly gain more opportunities on the pitch, while having the chance to improve as a player, thus becoming like Grealish.
It remains to be seen if a deal can be worked out between the two clubs, but moving to the Midlands will bolster Dewsbury-Hall’s career. That’s a certainty.
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He is seen as a future star in the making, and could be Villa’s this January.
