Ollie Watkins faces Aston Villa axe as stats reveal incredible Evann Guessand domination
Aston Villa look to end their transfer dry spell with the potential signing of Evann Guessand from OGC Nice.
The Villans to this point have confirmed just one summer addition in the shape of new backup goalkeeper, Marco Bizot from Brest.
It is fair to say that this has been a point of frustration for the Villa Park faithful, especially as a number of big-name stars continue to be linked with departures.
There has been no mention in the rumour mill more than Ollie Watkins, who could still remain in the Midlands regardless of countless exit links.
With that being said, the England international could face stern competition in B6 as a deal for Guessand looks destined to go through in the coming days or weeks.
Guessand stats stun as Aston Villa move edges closer
Finally, it appears that Unai Emery is going to add an outfield player of some quality to his squad this summer after weeks of radio silence.
That looks set to come to an end with the signing of the Ivory Coast international from Nice after Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna (5 August) broke news of a £30.4million transfer agreement.
The 24-year-old could soon put pen to paper on a deal until 2030 and represent much-needed attacking strength and depth in claret and blue.
This will likely result in questions for Watkins, who struggled at times last season up against Jhon Duran and Marcus Rashford in the squad.
It does appear as if this trend could be replicated in the coming campaign, especially when considering the statistical profile of both players.
Although the Englishman may have excelled in providing assists and registering positive non-penalty expected goals in the past 12 months, these are the only stats that truly stand clear of Guessand.
The Nice man dominates his soon-to-be teammate in almost every other stat according to Fbref [5 August], with creativity being a particular positive aspect of his game.
Looking at this chart, the player in red, being the Ivorian, clearly engulfs Villa’s leading Premier League scorer in all but five points.
With that being said, none of those are clear standouts and could represent a true alternative to the ex-Brentford man and a point of difference in B6.
As a result, it will be truly interesting to see what tactical approach is used by Emery and how that works for Watkins and the new man if his deal goes through in time.
Watkins could combine well with Guessand
When Emery came in, he wasn’t shy about implementing his 4-4-2 system that had served him so well throughout his time with Villarreal.
This certainly helped to secure Champions League football with Moussa Diaby playing in the second striker behind Watkins.
- Diaby signed for Villa from Bayer Leverkusen for £51.9m in July 2023
- The Frenchman contributed to 19 goals in 54 games in his debut season
- After qualifying for the Champions League, Diaby left for Al Ittihad
For whatever reason, this wasn’t utilised last campaign, but could be something that may return in the upcoming campaign.
To have the creativity of Guessand in behind the Englishman could prove to be an excellent change that could catch many other sides by surprise, moving into the Premier League season.
Now, fans will await the announcement of a transfer and to see how Emery could line up his side after finally bringing in the forward that fans have been waiting for.
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.