Aston Villa are showing interest in Villareal star, Alex Baena but will face competition from Barcelona in order to secure his signature.
The Villains had been interested in signing the Spaniard over the summer but a deal couldn’t be agreed and he stayed in La Liga.
Rumours of a move to the Midlands have resurfaced following his debut for the Spanish national team, described as ‘idyllic’ by AS.
Barcelona had shown interest in Baena as he is said to fit their ‘DNA’ and as a result, he was targeted. With that being said, he remained with this Yellow Submarine.
Who is Alex Baena?
At just 22 years of age, Baena has already made over 80 senior appearances for Villareal and Girona.
Last campaign was his breakout season as he made 48 appearances. In that time, he scored 12 and assisted six in all competitions.
Given his age and only having one full season of first-team football behind him, these stats are quite superb.
He has played at every level from Under 16 for Spain and made his debut for the first team recently.
What is he good at?
Going forward, he is one of the best midfielders in the whole of Europe right now.
One thing the Spaniard likes to do is get on the ball and drive forward, preferring to get a pass off rather than shooting.
He ranks in the top 10% for shot-creating actions and the top 3% for expected assists. No easy feat given this is compared to all midfielders in the top five leagues.
Although he may create a lot of chances for his teammates, Baena isn’t afraid of getting a shot off. The Spaniard ranks in the top 1% for total shots for any midfielder.
The midfielder has the ability to take free kicks, something which Villa often lose out on.
He isn’t defensive-minded in any sense of the word, but under Unai Emery, that is easily going to change.
Should Villa sign him?
Looking at his stats he feels like a match made in heaven for this Villa side.
The idea of Baena flying in tandem with Moussa Diaby, Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins is frightening.
With a release clause of £60 million rumoured, but £40 million said to be enough, he won’t come to Villa Park on the cheap.
There is some controversy over Nicolo Zaniolo, Villa might be in the market for an attacking midfielder come January.
Right now the Villains have plenty of attack-minded midfielders so this deal sounds unnecessary.
With that being said, if the option is there Villa have to go and get Baena before someone else does. In the past links to players have come and gone, and then the player goes on to be top-class.
If he goes to Barcelona he could become a big name quite easily. Villa need to step in early and get the deal done before they miss out on a player as good as Baena is and will be.
