Aston Villa are ready to bolster their attacking options in the January transfer window, with new reports linking the Villans to one of the most in form forwards in world football.
Unai Emery’s side have made an astonishingly strong start to the 2023/24 campaign, sitting just one point outside the Premier League’s top four as Villa Park reinstates itself as a fortress.
Villa are unbeaten in 12 home games in the league, highlighting their progression under Emery, however it’s been suggested in the media that there are further squad improvements to be made.
In the summer, the Spaniard was joined by president of football operations, Monchi, with the task of recruiting the next wave of quality acquisitions to be part of his project in the Midlands.
Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo and Clement Lenglet arrived during the transfer window, with additional resources now being scanned for the remainder of the campaign.
Aston Villa transfer targets
While the summer arrivals have mostly settled into life at Villa Park well, none of the captures can be identified as a centre-forward, which seems to be an area that Emery is plotting to expand in the winter.
One player said to be of interest to the Villans is a name already well-loved in the Midlands, with news in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, naming Tammy Abraham as a potential target in January.
The report claims that Villa are 'in the picture' for the Roma striker, who could be offloaded by Jose Mourinho’s side in the near future.
Abraham spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Villa under Dean Smith, with his 26 goals in the Championship being integral to the Villans earning promotion to the Premier League that year.
While the Englishman has a stellar reputation in the Midlands, he isn’t the most prolific striker that Villa have been linked to ahead of the January window.
Another forward that Emery’s side have been quoted with having an interest in is Stuttgart talisman Serhou Guirassy, who has been one of the most in-form strikers in Europe this season.
A report from TEAMtalk late last month referenced Villa’s interest along with that of Fulham, Spurs and Everton, as the hunt for the 27-year-old heats up in the Premier League.
Astonishingly, the accomplished forward is reported to have a mere release clause of just €20m (£17m), meaning he could be available for an extremely low fee in January.
Getting a player for cheap in the current state of the market is one strength, but just how good is Guirassy, and how could he fit in at Villa?
Serhou Guirassy’s playing style
Described as a player that is 'devouring Bundesliga defences' by scouting site The Analyst, the forward has found sanctuary playing under Sebastian Hoeness at Stuttgart.
Standing at 6 foot 2, the towering striker has a lot of skills in his locker, with his ability to hold the ball up and link with those around him being one of the most notable assets of his dominating frame.
Fellow scouting site Breaking the Lines lauded the 27-year-old’s 'ability to create goals out of nothing' as one of his strongest points, dubbing that element of his game as one that 'emphasises his genius'.
While pace is not his strongest point, Guirassy tends to find sanctuary in linking with the forwards without him, suggesting that he could be the ideal fit for Villa, who have no interest in replacing their talisman to welcome a new forward.
The stats that show Serhou Guirassy would be a good signing for Aston Villa
Comparable to the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland for his scoring proficiency by FBref, the Guinea international has been the most efficient goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year.
Averaging a mammoth 1.01 non-penalty goals per 90, the 27-year-old ranks in the top 1% in Europe over the past 365 days in that regard, telling of his clinical nature in front of goal.
Once lauded as “insane” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Guirassy is an undoubted presence in the final third, supported by his average of 3.34 shots on goal per 90.
In the Bundesliga, the forward has already improved his total of 11 goals last season this term, having netted a monstrous 14 goals in eight league games for the Bavarians already.
The Stuttgart ace could offer a host of benefits to Villa, particularly in Emery’s rotated formation of 4-4-2, which could see him fully utilise the duo leading the line by pairing Ollie Watkins with the £17m man.
How Serhou Guirassy could fit in with Ollie Watkins
Back in April, Emery told The Athletic of his “idea” to “add another striker” to play alongside Watkins in the summer.
While no identifiable centre-forward was acquired in the window, the Spaniard has found joy in unleashing club-record capture Moussa Diaby as the second part of the duo selected to lead the line.
In playing a 4-4-2, Emery could easily rotate his squad to accommodate Guirassy to play alongside Watkins, in a move that could not only benefit the front line, but Diaby too, who could once again assume his favoured position on the flanks.
Like Watkins, Guirassy enjoys linking with those around him to utilise his presence on the pitch and in the Englishman, he could find the perfect partner to join forces with.
Ollie Watkins
Serhou Guirassy
10
8
5
14
172 minutes
46 minutes
1.4
2.3
16%
44%
1.9
1.9
As highlighted in the table above, both players are reliable scorers for their teams, boasting the ability to not only put the ball in the net, but to link play also through their creative strengths.
The duo’s shared average of 1.9 key passes per game tells an interesting story of their capability to act as the playmaker, rather than just the hitman.
That element alone could see Emery extend his side’s productivity in the final third, by cloning Watkins to add more firepower in the form of Guirassy, whose goal-scoring presence could fuse with the tactical know-how of Villa’s star man.
The options are endless for the Spaniard with reference to how he could best utilise the duo, however with only Jhon Duran as the other recognisable centre-forward in the squad at present, welcoming additional reinforcements to that area could only bolster the front line going forward.
In signing one of the most in-form strikers in Europe, Emery could take his team to the next level, by expanding the squad and boosting the potential for goals at Villa Park.
