Aston Villa ‘risk ridicule’ amid MLS transfer talk
Aston Villa have endured a frustrating transfer window so far.
The Villans have yet to bring in any of the big names linked, while most of their best existing players have been linked with moves away from Villa Park.
It must be exasperating for manager Unai Emery, who desperately needs to replace last season’s loan stars Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio.
It’s not easy to attract attacking stars of that quality without Champions League football, as Emery is probably learning now.
However, if he doesn’t land one of his key midfield targets, it could be labelled as an embarrassment for the whole club.
Villa should go all out to sign Rodrigo de Paul
Emery is believed to be interested in signing Argentinian midfield star Rodrigo De Paul.
De Paul was one of the stars of Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022, but Atletico Madrid have told him he can leave.
While it’s true that Villa must replace Rashford and Asensio, Emery needs a midfield enforcer more than any other type of player.
In the matches that really mattered last season, Villa were out-battled and out-muscled in midfield. Newcastle away. Palace in the FA Cup. Even Manchester United on the last game of the season.
Villa have Amadou Onana. They have John McGinn. The likes of Morgan Rogers can dig in and battle when they need to. It wasn’t enough in these crucial games.
De Paul has developed a reputation of being one of the toughest central midfielders of the modern era. The type of player who won’t be physically dominated by any opponent. Villa need to do whatever they can to sign him.
Villa surely have more to offer De Paul than Inter Miami
The rumour mill has been linking De Paul with a move to Inter Miami in the last couple of days. Of course, that would see him join up with Argentina teammate Lionel Messi.
Javier Mascherano is Inter Miami manager. He has commented on the potential transfer, although he remained coy about it.
But De Paul is only 31 years old. He is still capable of dominating midfields at the highest level. A move to MLS is surely beneath him at this point in his career.
| Apperances | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists |
| 50 | 3294 | 3 | 9 |
If he were to choose the easy life in Miami ahead of Aston Villa, that would signal a serious lack of ambition from Villa’s owners.
It would be embarrassing for any serious transfer target to choose an MLS club instead of Villa Park. Emery and his recruitment team need to make a move now and give De Paul the chance to prove himself in the Premier League.
He’s exactly the type of player who could steer the Villans back into the Champions League.
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