Deserved new Aston Villa contract now on the cards for Unai Emery favourite John McGinn
Aston Villa are looking to secure the long-term future of John McGinn before the summer window and his performances in recent weeks prove it is a well-deserved new deal.
It is believed that Unai Emery has told the club that new deals for the Scottish international and Ollie Watkins are crucial before next season as the Spaniard builds towards another Premier League top-six pursuit [The Telegraph, 24 May].
Victory over Brighton on Sunday [28 May] on the Premier League final day would ensure them a place in next season’s Uefa Europa Conference League – a remarkable turnaround since Emery’s arrival.
In the 24 Premier League games Emery has managed, the Villans have picked up an impressive 46 points out of a possible 72, meaning they’d be in and amongst the top four had the season started when he joined.
McGinn, 28, has been back at the heart of the Villa rejuvenation since Emery’s appointment in November which has been even more notable given he was left out of the team by previous caretaker manager Aaron Danks against Brentford at Villa Park [23 October] before the managerial change.
It’s been a remarkable transformation under the Spaniard in just a matter of months, with the former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss providing the club with a clear tactical identity and resilience – albeit under strange tactical and positional responsibilities.
And one of those decisions has been based around the positions of several of his key stars, currently due to a lack of attacking options in the wide areas and that is evidently been seen through McGinn – utilised in an unfamiliar wide role in recent weeks.
Such a transformation in responsibilities has given the Scottish international a new lease on life at Villa Park and is proving every week, that he remains crucial to Emery’s project at Villa Park. Every time there is an Emery masterclass, McGinn is always at the heart of it, and his stats since his tactical change prove why.
Amongst attacking midfielders/wingers in Europe’s top five leagues, McGinn ranks incredibly well for his defensive metrics, in the 93rd percentile for tackles won per 90, 82nd percentile for interceptions, 85th percentile for blocks and 72nd percentile for aerial duels won per 90 [FBRef].
McGinn may not possess the same creative class as Emi Buendia or Philippe Coutinho, but for what he offers Emery in those areas, he is excelling tremendously, ranking in the 91st percentile for passes into the final third, in the 93rd percentile for successful take-ons % per 90 and also ranks surprisingly well for progressive passes [FBRef].
Though, the reason Emery loves McGinn is because of his work rate, endeavour and aggression when defending from the front or from a deep defensive position.
As per SofaScore, McGinn has averaged an impressive 1.9 tackles per game and successfully wins 59% of his ground duels and 58% of his total duels.
The 28-year-old has become Emery’s very own huntsman on the pitch ready to fulfil any of Emery’s tactical desires right down to a tee, making him the perfect commodity in his expansive but rigid philosophy.
Emery’s tactical decision to shunt him out to the right flank may seem strange to some, but to McGinn, it’s another impressive string to his positional bow as he has certainly provided Aston Villa with the perfect tactical balance both defensively and in the attacking sense.
News of a potential contract extension comes as some pleasing news to the Aston Villa faithful, but it’s very well deserved for a player who is well worth becoming the Villan’s Player of The Year candidate.
In other Aston Villa news, a three-man La Liga blitz may be on the cards amid a potential reunion for Emery.