Aston Villa have been considering their options for the remainder of the transfer window, as manager Unai Emery eyes additional reinforcements before the market closes.
Following a double injury blow to Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings, it’s expected that the Villans could revise a list of targets in defensive and attacking areas in preparation for the season to come.
Having already signed four talents in Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Nicolo Zaniolo, a new potential acquisition has emerged, however, it’s not certain that he could bring the same level of excitement as the earlier arrivals.
Who could Aston Villa sign this summer?
Away from the injuries, one area that the Villans are keen on strengthening is at left-back, with ongoing doubts over the future of Lucas Digne.
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It was expected that Monchi would seal a reunion with his former player at Sevilla in Marcos Acuna, however, journalist Rudy Galetti relayed recent news that talks between the two clubs have “stalled”.
Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares was also identified as a potential target, however another name has now emerged, with Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso listed as one of interest in the Midlands.
Spanish publication AS claimed that Emery is ready to place a “firm offer” to sign the 32-year-old, who could be offloaded this summer due to the Catalan giants’ ongoing financial issues.
Should Aston Villa sign Marcos Alonso?
In Alonso, Villa could sign a player well-known in the Premier League following his stints at Chelsea, Sunderland and Bolton, however at 32 years of age, the veteran defender is nearing his sell-by date.
The Spaniard was once described as being “awful defensively” by BBC Sport contributor Raj Chohan, making Villa’s chase for him far below the buzz of the earlier arrivals this summer.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Midlands club have welcomed a talent past his best from Barcelona, with the potential move having the capacity to replicate the disappointment of Philippe Coutinho’s move from Catalonia in January 2022.
The injury-prone Brazilian, like Alonso had some exemplary spells in the Premier League earlier in his career, yet has not been able to even remotely mimic the form he displayed for Liverpool.
However, unlike Coutinho, the Spaniard was shunned in the latter stages of his days at Stamford Bridge, and was far from being regarded as one of the best in his position.
The dip in the Madrid-born dud’s game is evident through his statistics last season, in comparison to those in his debut Premier League campaign for the Blues back in the 2016/17 calendar.
As per WhoScored, Alonso averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game for Chelsea in that season, averaging a stellar match rating of 7.39 per game.
The pattern was not replicated when revising his numbers last term, in which he averaged just 0.6 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game at left-back for Barcelona, contributing an average match rating of 6.53 in La Liga.
Earning £100k-per-week at Barcelona and considering his drop-off in form at this stage of his career, Monchi and Emery could find a host of far-superior options to the veteran in the left-back position.
