Aston Villa are yet to really make a splash in the summer transfer window.
Of course, at the start of the window, a dark PSR-related cloud did hang over Villa Park, which limited the Villans’ spending power, meaning a whole host of high-profile names were being tipped to ditch Unai Emery’s men for luxurious new pastures.
Thankfully, no such exits have taken place, yet, although rumours do continue to persist that Ollie Watkins might soon be off, alongside recurring bits of news that Morgan Rogers is being eyed up by Chelsea.
Villa could have to make peace very shortly with the prospect of waving goodbye to one of their superstar performers, especially if they want to snap up his exciting new attacker before September’s approaching deadline.
Aston Villa continue to admire Bundesliga goal machine
Losing Watkins would be a major knock for Emery and Co. to address, considering the England international fired home a weighty 16 Premier League strikes last campaign from just 31 starts.
Villa do appear to be in the market assessing their available options, however, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin reportedly being looked at on a free agent basis, alongside ex-Arsenal forward Mika Biereth also allegedly being on the Villa shopping list.
Away from those named, though, the most jaw-dropping option seems to have now come in the form of RB Leipzig marksman Lois Openda, with journalist Sacha Tavolieri taking to X to confirm Villa’s interest in the Belgian attacker.
This interest has been long-standing, with contact having occurred between the two parties for several months now. Villa would have to offload Watkins to make such a deal a reality, though.
Villa already knows too well what the explosive 25-year-old is capable of, having been on the receiving end of Openda scoring against Emery’s outfit in the Champions League last season, with this deemed a risk worth taking even more if he can become the Spaniard’s very own Alexander Isak up top.
How Openda can become Emery’s own Isak
All the talk surrounding Watkins’ future in the West Midlands has been nothing compared to the Isak fiasco at Newcastle United.
It does look as if the potent Swede will get the move away he desires now, as Liverpool attempt to secure another statement purchase this summer, with Openda hopeful he can become a Premier League superstar much like the former Real Sociedad attacker if he takes to leap to England shortly.
After all, much like his blistering Magpies counterpart, the “terrifying” Belgian – as he was once dubbed by journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor – has been a whirlwind success in front of goal wherever he’s been all across Europe.
In total, Openda has registered a breathtaking 105 strikes from 283 club appearances, lining up for Club Brugge, RC Lens, Leipzig, and Vitesse. 44 of those have come about with Leipzig, as the 25-year-old now itches for a more testing next step in the Premier League.
Isak is on a deadly 144 goals himself from a weightier 324 clashes, when plying his trade in Germany, Spain, and lastly on Tyneside, with 54 of those coming in the English top-flight for Newcastle as the Toon’s main man.
Openda must be yearning for that same level of status, and that could soon come his way, leading the line for Villa, especially if there’s a gaping Watkins-sized hole to soon fill.
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Openda’s numbers vs Isak’s numbers (over the last year) |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stat – per 90 mins |
||
|
Shots |
2.76 |
3.10 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
2.33 |
3.00 |
|
Progressive passes |
1.61 |
2.87 |
|
Progressive carries |
1.98 |
2.71 |
|
Successful take-ons |
0.78 |
1.37 |
|
Touches in attacking penalty area |
5.14 |
6.17 |
|
Stats by FBref |
||
Looking at similar aspects of their games using FBref further brings into focus how alike the attacking duo are, with Openda not a million miles off Isak’s insanely high levels when glancing at the table above, despite regularly falling just behind.
Of course, Isak wasn’t the most well-known striker when he first arrived on the scene from Sociedad, before he then cemented himself as a goal machine in the Premier League.
Openda will hope he undergoes the same immediate transformation, with his lethal career numbers leading up to this point indicating that he should be a rip-roaring success story.
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