Aston Villa’s January plans are already making noise in Buenos Aires, where both sides of Argentina’s fiercest rivalry have a player linked with a move to Villa Park.
Villa’s January search takes them to both sides of Buenos Aires
At Boca Juniors, it’s Milton Delgado who has caught Villa’s eye.
The midfielder started alongside Leandro Paredes when Boca beat Defensa y Justicia to finish top of Argentina’s annual table last weekend, and Sport Witness relayed claims that Villa could soon make an offer.
Boca president Juan Román Riquelme would rather keep him, and it’s easy to see why after the part Delgado played in that run.
Across town, River Plate goalkeeper Santiago Beltrán is another name in the frame. Soy del Millo has linked Villa with the 22-year-old and says River are due to resume talks over a new contract.
With Zion Suzuki already in Emery’s side after his summer arrival from Parma, Villa would have to decide what kind of opening they could offer Beltrán.
There’s a more immediate question in midfield, and it was hard to miss at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Youri Tielemans scored against his old club in a wild 4-4 draw, four months after leaving Villa for Man United, and now there’s a clue as to how Emery might fill that gap.
Emery wants Aston Villa to sign Gabriel Sara
Gabriel Sara has been on Emery’s radar since the summer, according to Emre Sarigul of Turkish Football.
The Villa boss reportedly sees the Brazilian as a player who can take on the job Tielemans used to do in midfield, though Newcastle are also weighing up a January move.
What Villa would have to pay may come down to how they put the offer together. The report puts Galatasaray’s starting figure at roughly £33m, but says a bid worth around £25m could be enough if the board are happy with the payment terms.
Sara’s two seasons at Norwich City are part of the appeal.
|
Gabriel Sara’s Galatasaray stats this season |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Apps |
Starts |
Mins |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Süper Lig |
11 |
9 |
711 |
2 |
5 |
|
Champions League |
4 |
2 |
185 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
15 |
11 |
896 |
2 |
5 |
Villa’s recruitment staff reportedly believe that spell would help the 27-year-old settle more quickly if he came back to England. The Premier League would still be new to him, but since leaving Norwich he’s gone from a Championship promotion push to playing in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
That’s a useful step to have taken before being asked to make an impact midway through a season.
Why Sara’s two title seasons should excite Emery
Sara helped Galatasaray win the league and cup in his first season, setting up eight goals and scoring twice in 31 league games.
One of those goals came away at Fenerbahçe, where he worked his way into the box from the right and sent his finish across the keeper in a 3-1 derby win.
He scored five and set up four in 27 league games as Galatasaray retained the title last season.
Sara also struck first in a 5-2 Champions League win over Juventus and has already set up five league goals this term, one more than he managed in the whole of the last campaign.
Emery could start Sara next to Boubacar Kamara and give him the freedom to move up as Villa build an attack. From there, he could feed Johan Manzambi between the lines or send Nicolas Jackson into the space behind a full back.
If Jackson goes wide to collect the ball, Sara can keep going into the box to give him someone to pick out with a cutback.
He’ll have less time to make those decisions in the Premier League, but at around £25m, Emery would be getting a midfielder who can supply the forwards and give defenders another runner to worry about.
