After enjoying a fine start to the new season, Aston Villa are now enduring their worst run of form in recent memory. Unai Emery’s side have lost all of their last four games in all competitions, slipping to defeats against Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Club Brugge, and most recently high-flying Liverpool.
In the Premier League, they haven’t won a game since mid-October, form that has seen them slip to ninth in the top flight, just three points ahead of supposedly struggling Manchester United.
Amid their poor form, Emery is reportedly looking to bring reinforcements to Villa Park. Among those players understood to be on the Spaniard’s radar are LOSC Lille striker Jonathan David, Southampton starlet Tyler Dibling, and Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who the Blues are thought to be keen on off-loading after the New Year following a difficult first six-months at Stamford Bridge.
Villa also want La Liga star
Another player Villa are reportedly keen on is Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali. The Moroccan has caught the eye with his solid performances at right-back for the Parakeets over the past year, ranking in the 96th percentile for tackles-per-90 and the 99th percentile for clearances when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues.
According to a recent report from TBR Football, both Villa and Brighton are monitoring the 21-year-old, while Premier League champions Manchester City are the chief suitors at the moment, showing a “keen interest”.
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City are understood to be considering El Hilali as a replacement for long-serving Kyle Walker, who turns 35 in May. TBR Football claims, however, that the Citizens also have their eyes on Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen, who they sold to Celtic back in 2019, and Monaco’s Brazilian full-back Vanderson.
A move for either of those players could pave the way for Villa to make their move for El Hilali, who is valued at just £2.5 million.
Who is Omar El Hilali?
Born in Spain to a Moroccan family, El Hilali has been with Espanyol since he was a boy, and made his first-team debut when he was just 17 in April 2021. Since, he’s made 63 appearances for the Catalan club, helping them lift the Segunda Division title in 2020/21.
As a youngster, he was twice touted by Espanyol’s rivals FC Barcelona, but opted to rebuke their approaches.
“I had an offer from Barca before coming to the Espanyol youth team and then in the cadets before moving on to the youth team,” he revealed in a recent interview on Que T’hi Jugues. “But both times, the truth is that I didn’t even think about it.
“I’ve been a Perico since I was a kid, I’ve always been attracted to this club. If Espanyol offer me a contract for life, I will stay here forever.”
