Aston Villa is looking again to the Champions League next season, especially after a thrilling run to the quarterfinals this season.
To do this, we hope that we will win the final Premier League clash this afternoon and other results will advance.
Unai Emery is already considering strengthening his team for future challenges. Will he be raiding a team that has been kicked out of the top flight of this season?
Aston Villa I Mom for Southampton midfielders
Emery has a great starting XI, but adding some depth to his first team’s team is certainly a priority this summer.
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Villa currently appears to have entered the race to sign midfielder Mateus Fernandez when the transfer window opened.
He is also courted by Leeds United and Crystal Palace. That means Emery has to act quickly if he wants to sign the youth before next season.
If you want to take him this summer, the player will probably cost him around £30 million.
The Portuguese starlet is a solid addition to Villa Park’s current team, and it could turn out to be John McGinn 2.0 for his manager.
Mateus Fernandez could be a great signature for Aston Villa
McGinn has been with the Villans since the summer of 2018, helping to bring the club back from the championship to the top flight and then to the Champions League.
The Scots have made nearly 300 appearances for the Midlands side and have become an integral part of recent advancements under Emery since moving to the club in the championship.
The Spaniard might sign a similar player with the Saints starlet, as the club is interested in signing Fernandez from a recent related aspect.
According to FBREF, McGinn is the seventh-highest player to Fernandez from Europe’s top five leagues, and talks about how similar they are in the middle of the park, especially at the Premier League level.
Additionally, the pair has registered similar statistics for metrics for this season’s range. This includes goals and assists (both), shots per 90 (1.33 vs. 1.21), shot-making actions (both 76), percentage of dribblers (50% vs. 41.9%), and take-on success rate (45% vs. 42.6%).
Compare McGinn and Fernandes from this season’s PL | ||
|---|---|---|
metric | McGin | Fernandez |
the goal | 1 | 2 |
assist | 4 | 3 |
A big opportunity has been created | 6 | 6 |
Total duels per game | 4.2 | 5.9 |
Key Passes for each game | 1 | 0.9 |
Tackle for each game | 1 | 2.5 |
Statistics via Sofascore | ||
As you can see from the table above, the Portuguese ace actually scored more goals in the Premier League and created many “big chances” despite playing for Southampton’s miserable team.
The saints struggled with relegation after a heated season on top flight, but football talent scout Jacek Kulig immediately praised Fernandez for his excellence.
“20 years old. A huge talent. One of the Southampton players who can definitely stay in the EPL.”
He will not stay on the South Coast for a long time as villas, Leeds and palaces watch the youth move. That’s certainly true.
According to Whoscored, both McGinn and Fernandes count dribbling as a great strength. This means they often become the last third and tend to be fouled more frequently than other players.
Emery could do it with another midfielder who loves to bomb dangerous areas, allowing Boubakar Kamara and Amadu Onana to do dirty work.
On paper, he certainly looks like a wise investment.
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