Unai Emery wants three new transfers at Aston Villa as striker exit lined up
Unai Emery is still keen to add to his squad at Aston Villa before the Premier League season commences.
The Birmingham club have struggled to make an impact in the summer transfer window so far. This has left Villa fans worrying about how their season could pan out.
Emery has done wonders with very little throughout his career. However, there is a fear that the Villans need several reinforcements that their coach could not do without.
The continuous stream of outgoings does not seem to be helping much either, as Villa prepares to bid farewell to another forward.
Zepiqueno Redmond poised for loan move
As reported by the Express and Star on Saturday (2 August), Villa are considering moving teenager striker Zepiqueno Redmond on loan before the end of the window.
The Under-21’s star is yet to make an appearance in pre-season after sustaining a minor injury, but will be assessed by Emery and his coaching staff once fit. His loan would follow Yasin Ozcan, who has joined R.S.C. Anderlecht for the season.
- Player: Zeipqueno Redmond
- Country: The Netherlands
- Age: 19
- Appearances: 105
- Goals: 33
- Assists: 2
However, Redmond’s short-term future will depend on what other business the club can do in the window. At the moment, Villa are treading carefully due to UEFA’s financial fair play rules, with goalkeeper Marco Bizot the only senior arrival thus far.
But Villa are notorious for leaving their business late in the window and could do the same this summer. It is understood that Emery wants to sign a defender and a couple of attackers, including a centre-forward.
However, incomings will be measured against outgoings, with the club prepared to enter the loan market just as they did when signing Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi and Marco Asensio in the winter window.
Villa should keep Ollie Watkins this summer
Ollie Watkins has been linked with a departure this summer, with Manchester United among the clubs mentioned.
Villa are keen to retain the forward, but the club should make more of an effort to keep him for at least another season. Indeed, the current striker market is uninspiring, and there does not seem to be a centre-forward on the market who is as good as Watkins or as cost-effective.
This should be enough for Villa to stand firm and wave away any offers put forward for the Englishman over the next couple of weeks.
With everything to look forward to next season, the Villans should be spending the last few weeks of the window strengthening their squad.
Sign up for the Villa News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Aston Villa news sent straight to your phone.