Jonty Banks

Fri 17 March 2023 11:10, UK

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Juventus loanee Weston McKennie in the summer transfer window, but when diving into the numbers, the 24-year-old looks to be a far inferior player to Douglas Luiz.

Playing beside Boubacar Kamara, the Brazilian international has found his best form in an Aston Villa shirt since arriving at the club in 2019, providing a calm option on the ball and significantly increasing his output in the final third.

However, despite the midfield duo shining in the early days of Unai Emery’s reign at Villa Park, the Spanish boss is reportedly ready to bolster his ranks in the summer transfer window.

Goal reported (16 March) that Juventus are ready to dig deep into their pockets to try and sign Emi Martinez in the summer, with Emery’s admiration of midfielder McKennie potentially being part of a deal between the two clubs.

Leeds United currently have the USA international on loan at Elland Road, along with a £32million option to buy, but considering their uncertain Premier League status, McKennie could still consider a move to pastures greener at the end of the season.

However, since making his January switch to the West Yorkshire club, McKennie has struggled to impact proceedings, and it raises the question of whether signing him would be a wise use of the club’s money.

According to WhoScored, Luiz has recorded more key passes (1.2) than McKennie (0.6) whilst also averaging ten more passes per game and over four times as many crosses as the Juventus man.

Importantly, Villa’s No.6 has a far superior passing accuracy than his American counterpart, averaging 87.5% compared to McKennie’s 81.4%.

Although small swings in areas such as passing accuracy might not feel like the biggest factor when signing a player, to Emery, they are imperative.

During his short reign as Aston Villa boss, it has become clear that his midfield four must be comfortable on the ball and, more importantly, at ease receiving the ball from the back-four while under pressure.

Fans have witnessed some of the growing pains that Luiz and Kamara have gone through in the past few months, but it finally feels like the duo are starting to master the art of Emeryball.

As per the Opta-powered stats on FBREF, the McKennie is only in the 33rd percentile of midfielders in the top-five European leagues for pass completion rate (79.4%) while also sitting in an even more worrying 31st percentile for progressive passes per 90 minutes.

Although it is clear that Aston Villa require some more depth in the middle of the park, it doesn’t look like McKennie is tailored to Emery’s needs.

In other Aston Villa news, a “silly offer” could lead to Ollie Watkins quitting Villa Park in the summer.