Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw at Everton on Sunday stopped them from putting more pressure on Liverpool in first place.
The point ultimately put Unai Emery’s side third in the Premier League after 21 matches.
|
Premier League Top Four |
Matches |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
Points |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Liverpool |
20 |
13 |
6 |
1 |
45 |
25 |
|
2. Man City |
20 |
13 |
4 |
3 |
43 |
25 |
|
3. Aston Villa |
21 |
13 |
4 |
4 |
43 |
16 |
|
4. Arsenal |
20 |
12 |
4 |
4 |
40 |
17 |
Despite the season already being a success, the boss is keen to add a couple of new additions to the squad in January.
Aston Villa’s search for an attacker
According to talkSPORT, Jonathan Rowe is a target for Aston Villa this transfer window with the Midlands side having ‘clocked onto’ his outstanding performances in the Championship so far this season.
However, they will not be alone in their quest for the attacker, with West Ham reportedly also interested.
Furthermore, David Wagner is confident of keeping hold of his star man this January.
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The stats that show Rowe would be a good signing for Villa
Many top sides in the Premier League often overlook signing players from the Championship, but Villa knows how effective that strategy can be, with Ollie Watkins being the prime example of that.
|
Ollie Watkins Brentford Record: Championship |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2017/18 |
45 |
10 |
5 |
|
2018/19 |
41 |
10 |
8 |
|
2019/20 |
49 |
26 |
3 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
|||
The striker joined from Brentford in the summer of 2020 for £28m, and his move has been nothing short of successful, as the striker has netted 57 goals and registered 23 assists in 145 appearances.
Therefore, Emery could look to repeat that Watkins trick by acquiring another star from the Championship this season in the form of Rowe.
The 20-year-old winger only played in three matches last season for Norwich, but since scoring in all his first five matches of this campaign, he has arguably become one of the first names on the team sheet, with Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig having described his performances as “amazing.”
Rowe is a versatile star who can comfortably play across the attack, which fits in with Emery’s likeness for having tactically flexible individuals. Nonetheless, the table below shows a handful of his stats from this season and how he compares to positionally similar players in the second tier.
|
Rowe’s Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
Rowe |
Ranking in the Championship |
|
Goals |
0.57 |
Top 2% |
|
xG |
0.22 |
Top 45% |
|
Goals/shot |
0.23 |
Top 6% |
|
Tackles |
2.03 |
Top 20% |
|
Tackles (mid third) |
0.99 |
Top 15% |
|
Touches (def third) |
6.66 |
Top 28% |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
Rowe happens to be Norwich’s top scorer this season with 11 goals in the Championship, five more than the second-highest, Adam Idah. This equates to 0.57 goals per ninety minutes on average, which ranks in the top two percentile for attackers in the league.
The Englishman has outperformed his xG and his goals/shot ratio is also in the top six percentile of positionally similar Championship players, highlighting the fact that he is a clinical finisher.
The Canaries ace is extremely hard-working off the ball, performing his defensive duties to a high standard, as shown by his tackles, tackles in the middle third of the pitch and his high touches in the defensive third metrics.
This attribute, along with his goal-scoring prowess, has drawn comparisons to Sadio Mane by Kulig, as the former Liverpool icon was known for his work off the ball and famously scoring 120 goals in 269 games for the Merseyside club.
The hunger to be relentless off the ball would make Rowe slot perfectly into Emery’s intense system and philosophy, and the ability to play as an inverted midfielder, a winger, and a number ten makes him a valuable player to have. It would be a smart signing that wouldn’t be overly expensive.