The window was occupied Aston Villa so far this January. They wasted no time aiming to improve their squad in both the short and long term, targeting several new additions.
Unai Emery the side will be hoping to continue their start to the season in the Premier League, where they will remain seventh place with 35 points.
Indeed, there are two long-term investments that seem set to merge. One of them is the young Turkish defender Yasin Ozcan from Kasimpasa, as confirmed by Ben Jacobs on Tuesday. same day, Athletic also reported a deal for the young French striker Tidiam Gomis was close.
However, the Villans’ main signing so far this January has been Donyell Malen.
Malen’s move to Villa
Arguably the most significant transfer in the Premier League this winter was Malen’s move from Borussia Dortmund to the West Midlands. He joined Emery’s team for reported fee of £19m upfront and a further £2.5m in add-ons.
Interestingly, the move to Villa Park is a return to English football for the Dutch striker. He previously played for Arsenal’s academy for two years between 2015 and 2017. joined PSV Eindhoven for £540k.
Now, as he returns to English shores, the progress Malen has made since he was a youngster at Hale End is clearly visible. He has 39 goals and 20 assists in 139 games for Dortmundwhich includes a goal and an assist away to Real Madrid in the Champions League this season.
The 25-year-old’s best campaign as a professional footballer was in 2020/21, for PSV, when he scored 27 times and provided ten assists in 45 games. Villa will be hoping he can show that form when he dons that familiar burgundy and blue shirt.
The signing of Malen is certainly good news for the West Midlands team as a whole. However, the same cannot be said for one of their players, the striker Emiliano Buendiawho now appears to be lower in the electoral pecking order.
The Aston Villa star who could now be sold
Argentinian attacking midfielder Bunedia joined the Villans from Norwich City in June 2021 for £33m, which is club contract at the time. However, things haven’t exactly worked out for the 28-year-old during his time at the club.
He has played 95 times in all competitions so far he has scored on ten occasions and registered nine assists. His best moment for the Villans came against Burnley, where he scored and assisted in a 3-1 win at Turf Moor.
Unfortunately, injuries have really spoiled the Argentinian’s time at Villa Park. He missed the entire 2023/24 season. due to anterior cruciate ligament injury. She kept him out for just one year, with Vila number ten missed 56 games in that time.
It’s a real shame that the former Norwich star was unable to find his best form at Villa Park. As football statistician Statman Dave once saidhe was a “genius on the ball” at Carrow Road.
His final season with the East Anglia outfit, 2020/21, was outstanding, as shown by the Sofascore statistics. He scored and assisted 31 goals and created 18 big chances.
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Buendia statistics in the last season for Norwich |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
Number |
|
Goals |
15 |
|
Assists |
16 |
|
Chances created |
18 |
|
Key passes per match |
3.1 |
|
Completed dribbles per game |
1.6 |
|
Dribble success rate per game |
62% |
|
Duels won per game |
6.9 |
|
Statistics from Sofascore |
|
There are reports that Buendia – who he reportedly earns £100k a week at Villa Park – could leave the club before the transfer window closes in early February. They believe in Leeds United to ‘retain interest’ in the Argentine, which would see him reunited with former Norwich manager Daniel Farke.
Either way, the Argentine’s time at Villa Park appears to be coming to an end. He has been a fantastic servant to the club over the past few years, but unfortunately it seems the Villa faithful have never seen him at his best.
With the signing of Malena, the time may have come for Buendia to leave Villa once and for all this winter.
