Aston Villa have reportedly made their move to land Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi.
According to L’Equipe, as relayed by Sport Witness, Premier League side Aston Villa have made a bid to secure the services of French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi this January.
The 23-year-old is familiar with the English game following his brief yet tumultuous spell at Arsenal. He got to work with Aston Villa boss Unai Emery while at the Emirates, and the Spaniard appears to have had a lasting impression from the youngster.
There appears to be mutual respect between Emery and Guendouzi and that could help smoothen things over in Villa’s favour. The midfielder possesses immense potential but has failed to channel it in the right direction. A move to the Midlands to play under a man he admired could help get the best out of him.
Since Emery’s arrival at Villa Park, the club’s fortunes have improved and they have now put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone. Bringing in the right players on deadline day will certainly be a shot in the arm and a move in the right direction.
The Midlands club already has a roster of several central midfielders at the club. New signings Boubacar Kamara, and Leander Dendoncker supplemented the likes of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey.
Nakamba is the oldest of the lot at 29, and there is little need for Aston Villa to revamp the options in the position. The arrival of Guendouzi should aid Emery if he plans to shift the side to a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-2-3-1 that focuses on packing the midfield.
The Frenchman’s high energy levels and ability to cover large areas of the pitch will certainly add much energy to a Villa side that has at times shown a lack of fight. More so, he will be a ready-made replacement for Luiz should the Brazilian decide to move on amid interest from Barcelona.
Marseille, for their part, signed World Cup hero Azzedine Ounahi but also look set to loan out Pape Gueye to Sevilla. There is little pressure on them to sell Guendouzi this month. And with just hours to go, the onus will be on Aston Villa to get the deal done.
Emery and co. have already made an attractive financial offer to Guendouzi and have been in touch with the player’s representatives for a few weeks now. The decision, however, lies with Marseille and time is running out fast.
