Aston Villa are back as Premier League title contenders after convincingly defeating Nottingham Forest at lunchtime on Saturday.
Heading into this clash, Unai Emery’s side had their confidence dented by a 4-1 loss to league leaders Arsenal, but they were able to respond in style by easily defeating Sean Dyche’s side as Ollie Watkins and John McGinn were in the free-flowing goals of the hosts.
Manager Emery is said to be planning a surprise move for an attacker who is already in the Premier League, so he will likely be looking at the transfer window as an opportunity to bring in reinforcements to ensure his title bid is no longer in doubt.
Aston Villa plan exciting move for £59m star
There haven’t been many changes at Villa Park this summer, but the arrival of Evan Gessand from OGC Nice was a standout move, with Emery and Co paying a hefty £26m fee.
Villa could bring in Borussia Dortmund playmaker Julian Brandt as a new midfield presence in January, with Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott also presumably out of action on loan, with the creative German’s contract set to expire this summer.
According to the latest report from TEAMtalk, Villa are ‘in motion’ to sign Manchester City attacker Omar Marmouche, with the £59m star rumored to be attracting the attention of the emerging Egyptian Premier League side as the Manchester City No.7 competes for his country at the African Cup of Nations.
The report goes on to say that Tottenham Hotspur have made inquiries regarding the Cairo-born forward, but also notes that Josep Guardiola’s men are reluctant to consider letting the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward go midway through the season, despite a number of clubs currently showing interest in City’s reserve striker.
Still, Marmouche will surely appreciate a move to the West Midlands if it means suddenly more game time for the 26-year-old.
Emery could seal another John Duran-style deal by winning the Egyptian’s signature, having turned the 22-year-old star into a £64m fortune during the Spaniard’s sensational spell at Villa.
Why Marmouche could be the next Duran after Emery
Duran suddenly arrived in England midway through the 2023/24 season, costing the Villains around £18 million to sign him from MLS side Chicago Fire.
He made an immediate impact as a goal-hungry forward presence, with the Colombian team scoring a total of 20 goals in 78 games.
Remarkably, 12 of those goals came from the South American’s just seven starts in the Premier League, with Emery praising Duran as “special” as an impact player who has repeatedly rescued the Villains from attacking woes.
Marmouche will be hoping he can make the same impact from the start of his Villa career if the move goes through, with the No. 7, who reached the peak of his powers in the Bundesliga, becoming the same devastating attacking presence Duran was at the height of his Villa career. Before heading to the Etihad, he scored an impressive 15 goals and provided nine assists in just 17 league appearances during his final campaign at Frankfurt.
Marmouche vs. Duran: Career | ||
|---|---|---|
status | Mamouche | duran |
games played | 259 | 188 |
Play time (minutes) | 14,932 minutes | 8,930 minutes |
Number of points | 79 | 53 |
assist | 36 | 14 |
hat trick | 2 | 0 |
Source: Transfermarkt | ||
Despite Guardiola not always giving him the most consistent chances, he also shone in spurts at the Etihad, scoring seven Premier League goals in just 1,389 minutes. With Emery eyeing a sensational mid-season signing, Duran himself will be given just 1,214 minutes.
The £59m ‘maverick’ (as scout Ben Mattinson labeled him when he was playfully scoring goals for Frankfurt), who played a minimal 233 minutes in the league this season and picked up one assist for his troubles, could well explode in the West Midlands if the former Arsenal manager uses him as another Duran.
He also has Duran’s long-range ability, which could be an exciting addition for Villa to stay near the top of the Premier League table, even if the likes of Watkins also fall victim to lackluster form, as seen in this season candidate’s goal from the back of the net against AFC Bournemouth last season.
Although this feels like a somewhat unlikely signing, Villa have previously tempted another Manchester exile to call Villa home in Marcus Rashford, and Marmouche will be looking to revive his Premier League days in a similar style if a move goes through.
Stuart Pearce says Aston Villa star was unstoppable against Nottingham Forest
The Villains won 3-1 this afternoon.
