Aston Villa are looking for a “top talent” who could be Duran 2.0
Aston VillaThe offensive performance so far this season has been somewhat disappointing. According to Sofascore, Unai Emery’s side have scored just 30 goals in the Premier League this term, joint eighth best in the entire division.
That number could have been much higher if they hadn’t missed scoring 44 great chances, which is the third worst chance in the Premier League. They also miss the target a lot, with just 4.3 of their shots finding the target each game.
Despite the firepower they have in the attacking zones, Villans doesn’t really go in front of the goal. With that in mind, it may not come as much of a surprise that they are being linked with a new striker.
Aston Villa are looking for a striker
The player in question is Tidiam Gomis, a striker for Caen of the French Ligue 2. The youngster is making waves across Europe and could leave the club during the January transfer window.
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Now, according to a report by the French news outlet L’EquipeMonchi and Co have already started direct talks about a potential move for the teenager. His contract expires at the end of the season, and at this stage it is not clear if they will try to sign him now or if they will wait for the summer when they can get him free.
However, the Englishmen will not be the only club chasing his signature. According to Florian Plettenberg, the Frenchman is also wanted by German RB Leipzig and Italian giants AC Milan.
Why Gomis would be a good signing
There is a lot of hype surrounding 18-year-old Gomis, and he has already impressed at first-team level despite only being a short way into his career. The young French forward has four goals and two assists for Caen in 36 performancesafter passing their academy.
He has looked sharp this term and has two goals and two assists in 17 games in Ligue 2 for the club, which is majority owned by French star Kylian Mbappe.
French national team under 19, who has four goals in 11 appearances at the level of that age group, he is certainly highly rated in the football world. Plettenberg, as noted above, was complimentary of him, calling him “a supreme talent”.
Rather, his statistics on Sofascore they reflect the quality of the player that Villa signs. In Ligue 2 this season, Gomis started 11 times, took 1.7 shots per game and created two big chances. He also works hard with the ball making 3.2 rebounds per game.
Gomis key statistics Ligue 2 2024/25 |
|
---|---|
Stat |
Number |
Shots per game |
1.7 |
Great chances were created |
2 |
Completed dribbles per game |
1.4 |
Duels won per game |
2.9 |
Ball recovery per game |
3.2 |
Statistics from Sofascore |
Signing a teenager with plenty of potential is a move that has worked perfectly for Villa in the past. Back in 2023, he was signed by a club from the Midlands John Duran from Chicago Fire for £18mwhen he was 19 years old.
It’s fair to say that the investment in the young Colombian centre-forward has worked out perfectly for the Villans. He has been a revelation for Villa and now has 20 goals in 75 games.
However, he only played 2,205 minutes, which equates to 24.5 full 90 minutes, leaving him with a fantastic goals to games ratio.
His teammates love him too. The winner of the 2022 World Cup and Villa’s first goalkeeper Emi Martinez explained in September that he believes the Colombian can become “one of the best strikers in the world”.
Signing raw talent in the January transfer window has clearly worked for Villa before, and it looks like they could repeat the masterclass this year. The risk with this contract is even lower because Gomis could join the club for free in the summer if they decide to wait.
For a small fee, this could be a wise move for Monchi as the Villans look to bolster their attacking options and make a real splash in the second half of the season.