Tag: Aston Villa

Ranking the 25 best Premier League wingers of the last 5 years
29Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Ranking the 25 best Premier League wingers of the last 5 years

Ranking the best wingers in the Premier League is a task so onerous that it may seem foolhardy, because even restricting the time span to the last five years doesn't make the task even easier. How do you rank, for example, a new breakout star like Anthony Gordon against a fallen superstar like Sadio Mane? Where does a gifted footballer like Riyad Mahrez stand against a former goal-scoring machine like Raheem Sterling? I tried my best to be fair and account for the unique merits each player brought to the table and avoid any club-based bias. I also decided to discard players who mostly offered value at non-winger positions, specifically Bernardo Silva, mostly to make my own job easier. (Don't worry, I'll have plenty of nice things to say about Silva in other pieces.) Finally, I did...
Read More
The blockbuster attacking transfer Aston Villa are glad they didn’t make
24Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

The blockbuster attacking transfer Aston Villa are glad they didn’t make

Aston Villa are off to a great start in the 2024/25 Premier League season, as their 3-1 win over Wolves this past weekend was their third straight victory in league competition, with backup striker Jhon Duran adding his fourth goal in five appearances off the bench. Between Duran and attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa have two of the biggest breakout stars in the Premier League thus far and look like a great bet to finish in the top four again. Last season, Aston Villa already had one of the top breakout superstars in the Premier League, as Ollie Watkins was a double-digit goal-scorer and assist provider as a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate. So now that Duran is finishing off chances like he's the second coming of Ronaldo Nazario, Aston Villa ...
Read More
Jhon Duran isn’t actually the biggest breakout star on Aston Villa right now
22Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Jhon Duran isn’t actually the biggest breakout star on Aston Villa right now

Aston Villa decided to keep Jhon Duran this summer despite serious interest from West Ham and even cursory interest from other Premier League clubs in need of a No. 9, such as Chelsea. But Unai Emery valued the Colombian highly, as he didn't listen to Duran's transfer request or the competitive offers from the Hammers. Emery was probably never seriously considering selling Duran, even though he already has one of the best strikers in the Premier League at his disposal in 2023/24 Player of the Season candidate Ollie Watkins. Now, Emery has two legitimate 20-goal candidates at striker in Watkins and Duran, with Watkins being more well-rounded and Duran being even more decisive with his finishing. Duran has scored a team-high 4 Premier League goals in just 131 minutes despite never s...
Read More
Interesting transfer rumor on why Amadou Onana rejected Arsenal for Aston Villa
21Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Interesting transfer rumor on why Amadou Onana rejected Arsenal for Aston Villa

Amadou Onana was one of the most coveted players on the summer 2024 transfer market, as the Everton star was courted by Manchester United, Arsenal, and Barcelona in a who's who of historic European clubs. In the end, however, Onana may have surprised some fans around the globe by choosing Aston Villa, a rising long-time Premier League club fresh off their first Champions League qualification ever. Unsurprisingly, the best Belgian player at Euro 2024 has proven to be a rousing success at Villa Park thus far, making every use of the fact that he is the new centerpiece player in midfield for Aston Villa after Douglas Luiz was sent, by request, to Juventus. According to a report from Give Me Sport, Aston Villa acquired Amadou Onana over their most serious competitor, Arsenal, because ...
Read More
Aston Villa were even more right about Jhon Duran than they thought
15Sep By Kevin ParviziNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa were even more right about Jhon Duran than they thought

This past summer, Aston Villa were contemplating the sale of young striker Jhon Duran, because they weren't sure how much playing time he would get with Ollie Watkins starting every week. Watkins, who scored a key goal for England at the Euros this summer, was one of the best all-around strikers in Europe last season, scoring 19 goals with 13 assists as a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate with Aston Villa qualifying for the Champions League. So Duran was on the transfer market, and West Ham were very close to signing him. Aston Villa were holding out for 40 million pounds, and it seemed like Duran was keen to join West Ham, where he'd have a much easier path to playing time. But Aston Villa ended up buckling down so hard that it eventually seemed like they w...
Read More
Aston Villa’s top remaining transfer target is a brilliant choice
29Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa’s top remaining transfer target is a brilliant choice

Aston Villa have made a few ambitious signings in the summer 2024 transfer window, with the crown jewel of Unai Emery's incoming class being center midfielder Amadou Onana. Ian Maatsen was also a notable addition, joining Aston Villa permanently from Chelsea after a strong season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, where he reached the Champions League Final. Although Aston Villa have secured a talented new left back, the club are still in the market for a right back upgrade on Matty Cash, but that now appears to be their priority before the transfer window closes on Aug. 30. According to a report from The Mirror, Feyenoord star Lutsharel Geertruida has now become the top transfer target for Aston Villa, as he is the focus of Unai Emery before the transfer shop officially shuts down u...
Read More
Aston Villa forward set to join Champions League club for more minutes
25Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa forward set to join Champions League club for more minutes

Aston Villa have made a few major moves in the summer transfer window, with the most notable being the signing of former Everton center midfielder Amadou Onana. The 22-year-old Belgian international replaces Douglas Luiz as the team's best midfielder, as Luiz wanted a transfer away from Villa Park and joined Serie A heavyweights Juventus instead. In exchange, Aston Villa acquired center midfielder Enzo Barrenechea, who was on loan at Frosinone last season, as well as young Juve first-team left winger Samuel Iling-Junior. However, Iling-Junior and Barrenechea were not deemed ready by manager Unai Emery to be regulars for Aston Villa in the 2024/25 season, so the Lions have been looking for loan destinations for both raw players. According to a report from Gianluca Di Marzio, Ast...
Read More
Aston Villa in talks to sign a Premier League icon
23Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa in talks to sign a Premier League icon

Aston Villa have one of the most talented attacks on paper in the Premier League after bringing in Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer to join the likes of Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey, and Jhon Duran up front. But Aston Villa aren't done wheeling and dealing this summer, and even though their priority under Monchi is to build a long-term project that focuses on top young forwards like Philogene, one more veteran presence could help a front three really gel. According to a report from Gary Jacob of The Times, Aston Villa are holding transfer talks with Chelsea in order to sign out-of-favor veteran winger Raheem Sterling, who is one of several big names the Blues probably should not have signed in the first place. Although Sterling is riding the bench at Stamford Bridge ...
Read More
Aston Villa negotiating to sign 20-year-old attacking phenom
23Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa negotiating to sign 20-year-old attacking phenom

Aston Villa have been one of the most proactive teams in the summer transfer window this year, as they are not content with coming in fourth last season in the Premier League; the Lions want even more. With their Champions League debut on the horizon, Aston Villa are looking to stack up their roster, and their early returns are positive following a nifty 2-1 win over an improved West Ham side. New blockbuster signing Amadou Onana looks like a star, and Aston Villa have high hopes for talents Jaden Philogene, Ian Maatsen, and Cameron Archer. Yet Villa still want to fortify their attack with more U23 standouts who can develop into potential world-class superstars for a perennial Champions League outfit. The club's latest transfer target is Samu Omorodion, whose shock blockbuster tra...
Read More
Aston Villa interested in £45 million Liverpool player
23Aug By Joe SorianoNo Comments
Features, Premier League

Aston Villa interested in £45 million Liverpool player

Aston Villa have one of the best center back partnerships in the Premier League between Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres, the former impressing at the Euros for England and the latter impressing everywhere he goes despite a relative lack of fanfare. The Lions are set with their starters at center back, but with ambitions to compete in the Champions League this season and repeat their qualification for next season, Aston Villa know that it takes a lot more than good starters to put together a winning side every year in the Premier League, especially with the additional gruel of Champions League games. As Aston Villa continue to look for more attacking options to help the current crop, led by Premier League Player of the Season candidate Ollie Watkins at striker, Unai Emery and Co. are also l...
Read More