After a very quiet start to the transfer window, things are really starting to heat up at Aston Villa.
Back-up goalkeeper Marco Bizot was the only new signing to start the Claret and Blue Army’s Premier League opener against Newcastle, deputising for the suspended Emi Martínez, while their most noteworthy new recruit, Evann Guessand, was an unused substitute.
Meantime, as they seek to stay compliant with the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules, Villa have made a few sales in recent days, so could this lead to them making a notable addition?
Aston Villa's new look attack
On Sunday, it was confirmed that Jacob Ramsey had departed Aston Villa, the club he joined as a six-year-old, signing for Newcastle United for a reported fee of £43m.
Meantime, having not even been on the bench at the weekend, Leon Bailey is expected to complete a move to Roma this week, with the Giallorossi paying a £2m loan fee, the deal containing a £19m option to buy.
So, could these departures facilitate an attacking addition or two being added to Unai Emery’s squad?
Well, according to a report by the Daily Mirror, Aston Villa are ‘interested’ in signing Leandro Trossard from Arsenal, with Brentford as well as ‘several foreign clubs’ also monitoring the Belgian’s situation; Fenerbahçe and Bayern Munich have been mentioned in the past.
Interestingly, the £18m-rated forward was an unused substitute during the Gunners’ Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Mikel Arteta turning to new signing Noni Madueke instead, when the Belgian had previously been the first man off the bench for so long.
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Having spent big, Arsenal need to raise funds in the remaining weeks of the window, looking to offload Oleksandr Zinchenko, Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fábio Vieira and possibly Trossard too, so could he soon swap North London for Villa Park?
What Leandro Trossard would bring to Aston Villa
Ever since he first arrived in the Premier League, joining Brighton from Genk, Trossard has been a consistent performer.
He scored 25 goals and registered 15 assists in 121 outings for the Seagulls, most notably bagging a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield, before a public falling out with Roberto De Zerbi in January 2023 saw him depart.
Having failed in their pursuit of Mykhailo Mudryk, Arsenal swooped in and signed Trossard, and this has certainly proved to be £27m well spent.
The Belgian has racked up 28 goals and 23 assists in 124 Arsenal appearances, earning a reputation as something of a super sub, often making key contributions off the bench, including scoring with his first touch at Villa Park almost exactly 12 months ago, this the last time Aston Villa tasted defeat in a league match at home.
Ben Jacobs of talkSPORT labelled him a “clinical” finisher, while manager Arteta described him as “competitive”, adding “he wants to win… he always wants to be the best”. In the words of one Arsenal content creator, he is “one of the most underrated player in the Premier League”.
Trossard featured in all 38 of Arsenal’s Premier League matches last season, the only outfielder to achieve this, filling in across the front line, deployed as a centre-forward and a second-striker, as well as on both flanks, given the Gunners’ injury crisis.
Should he move to Villa, Emery would surely appreciate this versatility, but let’s assess how he compares to the outgoing Bailey.
Appearances
72
59
Minutes
4,197
3,220
Goals
20
11
Assists
10
11
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots
2
1.4
Shots on target
1.1
0.7
Chances created
1.5
1.8
Big chances created
0.34
0.42
Big chances missed
0.34
0.06
Take-ons completed
1.4
2.2
Take-on success %
55.83%
50.55%
Average Sofascore rating
7.07
6.94
As the table outlines, Trossard has produced a far greater output across the last two Premier League seasons, albeit Bailey does come out on top in terms of assists, chances created and dribbles per 90, albeit the Belgian completed a higher proportion of his take-ons.
So, in terms of being an out-and-out goal threat, Trossard would surely represent a clear upgrade on what Villa are selling.
Also, as already documented, the Belgian is very durable, while the same cannot be said of the departed Ramsey, who missed eight Premier League matches last season due to a hamstring injury, having seen little over 1,000 minutes during the previous campaign due to metatarsal, foot, toe and hamstring issues.
Even last year, when making 46 appearances, accumulating over 2,300 minutes, the 24-year-old scored just four goals and registered a mere seven assists across all competitions.
Given that Villa could play as many as 67 matches this season, including up to 17 in the Europa League, Trossard’s availability would surely prove invaluable.
Thus, if Arsenal are eager to sell, and the 30-year-old is available at the right price, he would add plenty to Emery’s squad.
