Harvey Elliott straight in, ‘dangerous’ star out – Aston Villa’s perfect XI as transfer window closes
Aston Villa completed three signings to end a frustrating window on a positive note.
Having lost Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United and Leon Bailey on loan to Roma, there was certainly a need for new signings before the end of the window.
This didn’t look likely to be the case for Unai Emery until the market suddenly picked up in the final hours of the summer at Villa Park.
Villa brought in Harvey Elliott on loan from Liverpool alongside a temporary switch for Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, in two exciting last-gasp deals.
With this duo coming in alongside Victor Lindelof for Villa, Villa News has now assessed how the B6 club could line up in a dream scenario this season.
Emi Martinez starts in Aston Villa dream XI
There is no getting away from the deadline day drama surrounding Martinez and his potential move to Manchester United, which never materialised.
Now, amid a sour atmosphere surrounding the Argentine, the 33-year-old remains in the Midlands and is highly likely to return to the starting 11 for the rest of the campaign, despite making just one save against Brentford in his only outing of the campaign so far.
It will be interesting to see how fans react to the keeper, who looks set to start behind a familiar back four moving forward after a lack of defensive signings.
Lindelof has come in on a free transfer, but he is highly unlikely to start with both Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa likely to feature regularly.
On the flanks, Lucas Digne could beat Ian Maatsen into the side with Matty Cash on the opposite flank, despite his general lack of form in claret and blue after completing just two crosses while losing five duels against Crystal Palace last time out.
Ahead of the backline, when fit, Boubacar Kamara could once again link up with Youri Tielemans to form an excellent partnership, just as they did last campaign.
Harvey Elliott to replace Donyell Malen in starting XI
It has been a hugely frustrating spell in B6 for Malen since signing from Borussia Dortmund, where former teammate Mario Gotze described him as “extremely fast and very dangerous,” which fans are yet to see at Villa Park.
This could see Elliott come straight in on the right wing, something which could see him build further on his 100 per cent cross accuracy and three chances created against Germany in the victorious final of the under-21 EUROs.
| Stat vs Germany U21s | Harvey Elliott |
| Goals | 1 |
| Shots on target | 2 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Times fouled | 1 |
The new signing could be joined by a fellow addition in Sancho, who could come straight in on the left-hand side in place of Evann Guessand.
This duo will be tasked with feeding the ball and creating space for Morgan Rogers, who will be keen on operating as a number 10 for the whole of the season.
The dynamism and talent of this trio could prove to be the perfect breeding ground for chances that Ollie Watkins could thrive on after a difficult start to the new year of Premier League action.
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