Journalist backs Aston Villa to sign ‘one of the best’ midfielders around; Emery key

Fri 12 May 2023 16:45, UK

Aston Villa have been linked with Marseille’s Matteo Guendouzi in recent months.

In January, claimed that the Villans were plotting a £44million bid for the France international.

Although Guendouzi stayed put, Villa could now get another chance to land a player Unai Emery rates highly.

The Villans have enjoyed a massive upturn in form since the Spaniard arrived at Villa Park.

Although Villa may just miss out on European qualification, there’s certainly a lot of optimism for next season.

And Guendouzi, a player who was fantastic under Emery at Arsenal, may well be a key target for him at Villa.

Jonathan Johnson has now spoken to about the 24-year-old’s future.

Guendouzi is “continuing to attract interest from the Premier League”, with West Ham also rumoured to be in pursuit.

“Despite reports about interest from West Ham, I haven’t had that confirmed to me,” wrote Johnson.

“But it is a move that makes sense with the expectation that Declan Rice will move on this summer.

“Guendouzi brings Premier League experience, so could tick a lot of boxes for West Ham.

“But I still think a move to Villa would be more likely if they qualify for Europe.

“I think the lure of working with Emery is quite strong.

“So it’s just a question of whether or not they do qualify for the Europa League or Europa Conference League.”

Guendouzi reunion with Emery on the cards?

Guendouzi burst onto the scene after joining Emery’s Arsenal from Lorient as a teenager back in 2018.

He played 66 times under the Spaniard, 48 of those coming in his first season in English football.

While things didn’t work out for Guendouzi after Mikel Arteta took over, he has matured and developed at Marseille.

Indeed, Jorge Sampaoli has him to become ‘one of the best (midfielders) in the world’.

And with suggesting Guendouzi now has a £22million price tag, he wouldn’t break the bank for Villa either.

Ashley Preece of the recently wrote: “I just can’t see Matteo Guendouzi not being at Villa Park next season.

“Fully expect him to be one of the first in. We’ll see how that one plays out.”