With Unai Emery’s sights set on lifting silverware this season, Aston Villa may be forced to reinforce the squad in the transfer window.
Villa have been excellent this season, particularly in attack, where they’ve netted the joint-third highest number of goals in the Premier League, 43.
Nevertheless, with the club showing a clear ambition to succeed, they could invest in a youthful prospect who has already shown signs of being an elite talent.
Aston Villa want to sign promising star
According to reports from Turkey, Aston Villa are lining up a bid for Semih Kilicsoy in January with an offer potentially even forthcoming as soon as the end of this week.
Emery’s side will face competition from other clubs, such as Midlands rivals Wolves, for the signature of the Besiktas ace.
However, the Turkish side will not let him go on the cheap, as he is a key player for them, and the youngster recently signed a new deal.
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Aston Villa’s finest talent since Grealish
2014 was the year when Jack Grealish made his debut for Villa, but it wasn’t until he led his side to the Premier League that he really began to fulfil his potential as a wonderkid.
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Jack Grealish’s career at Aston Villa |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2014/15 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
|
2015/16 |
21 |
1 |
1 |
|
2016/17 |
33 |
5 |
5 |
|
2017/18 |
31 |
3 |
6 |
|
2018/19 |
35 |
6 |
8 |
|
2019/20 |
41 |
10 |
8 |
|
2020/21 |
27 |
7 |
12 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
|||
The now-28-year-old is playing for the best side in the world, Man City, with the Premier League and the Champions League on his honours list.
Emery will hope that Kilicsoy could eventually have a similar impact on Villa as Grealish did during his final season at the club, when he contributed six goals and registered 10 assists in just 24 starts during the 2020/21 Premier League campaign. Based on pure talent alone, the young Turk could well be their finest young talent since their £100m sale.
The Turkish star has been previously labelled as a “hidden gem” by football analyst Ben Mattinson, and it is only since December that he has really started to send shockwaves across Europe.
Despite being just 18 years old, he has already won three of Besiktas’ games practically on his own, with the table below showcasing a handful of statistics from his five Super Lig starts this season.
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Kilicsoy’s Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stats (per game) |
Kilicsoy |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Assists |
0.40 |
|
Shots |
3.20 |
|
Successful dribbles |
2.80 |
|
Tackles |
1.80 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see by the goals and assists statistics, Kilicsoy is the definition of a complete winger who can not only find the back of the net but also create for those around him, which are certainly traits of an elite forward.
The Turkish star has featured as a left midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 this season, but he has the ability to play just off the striker, where he can use his direct dribbling and lethal strike to devastating effect. That certainly sounds like the fleet-footed Grealish.
The 18-year-old is also extremely hardworking and puts in a shift for his side out of possession, he leaves it all on the pitch, which is reminiscent of how Grealish used to play at Villa Park. This is highlighted by his tackles per game of 1.80. Kilicsoy’s profile, therefore, fits Emery’s system perfectly, as he has the intensity to complete the required defensive tasks while also having the quality to score and create from nothing.
Signing the young forward could prove to be a masterstroke by Aston Villa in years to come, and based on his recent performances, spending some of January’s budget on Kilicsoy could be an extremely smart move.