It has been a dire start to the 2025/26 season for Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s side have picked up a single point so far this term, and are yet to score a goal, three games into the new campaign. It is a worrying sign.
Of course, losing players like Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, who were both on loan for the second half of last season, has impacted them.
That is why, on transfer deadline day, the West Midlands side are pushing for a new attacker.
Aston Villa’s latest attacking target
With the transfer window set to slam shut at the earlier time of 7pm, it does not give Emery long to add an attacker to his squad.
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Fabrizio Romano is reporting that there are ongoing ‘negotiations’ for Villa to sign Manchester United star Jadon Sancho today, amid the prospect of Emi Martinez heading in the other direction.
Both clubs are attempting to secure an ‘agreement’ on those deals.
Romano explains that the England international ‘has to decide his future today’, and a move to Villa Park could offer a viable solution. A fee of £20m was quoted for the forward earlier in the window, and that could be a fee Villa need to pay themselves.
Why Sancho would be a good signing
Described as a “maverick” in his younger days by former coach Louis Lancaster, Sancho’s career trajectory has perhaps not gone as expected. His time at Old Trafford has been far from easy, although he did impress on loan at Chelsea last season.
At 25 years of age, Sancho has bags of Premier League experience now. He’s featured 89 times in the English top flight for the Red Devils and Enzo Maresca’s Blues, with 12 goals and 11 assists coming in that time.
Of course, the London-born star became known thanks to his sensational time at Borussia Dortmund. Over two spells in Germany, Sancho played 158 games, scoring 53 times and assisting 67, helping win the DFB-Pokal in 2020/21.
Well, this would be a move similar to one Villa made in January, when they brought Asensio in on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Real Madrid star enjoyed a successful loan spell at Villa Park for the second half of last season, where he was able to get his career back on track after falling out of favour in the French capital.
Asensio only played 21 times for the club, but had a huge impact on Emery’s attack. He was deadly in front of goal, bagging eight times, and chipped in with an assist, too.
It is easy to see why Sancho could be the second coming of Asensio at Villa Park. Both players have somehow seen their careers take a bit of a downward spiral, falling out of favour at their respective clubs.
Yet, with the Spaniard able to play regular first-team football and become a key player for Villa, he bolstered his stock once more. It is easy to see how Sancho could do the same.
Their numbers from last season are similar, too. For example, Sancho averaged 1.94 key passes and 2.3 take-ons completed per 90 minutes.
In comparison, Asensio notched up an average of 2.12 key passes and 1.06 completed take-ons each game.
Key passes
1.94
2.12
Progressive passes
4.59
5.36
Take-ons completed
2.3
1.06
Progressive carries
5.2
2.72
Ball recoveries
5.05
3.05
Sancho could certainly become Villa’s new Asensio and really get his career back on track at Villa Park. He is clearly a talented attacker who could thrive in the pockets for Emery and help revitalise a struggling Villa attack, which is missing Asensio’s impact.