Unai Emery could be inspired by the transformation of Leon Bailey as Aston Villa are linked to a new transfer target.
The summer transfer window is in full swing at Bodymoor Heath as Unai Emery gets to work replenishing his squad ahead of 2024/25.
Aston Villa are preparing to feature in the Champions League next season, giving Emery inspiration to make upgrades to his side this summer.
Seven new faces have already arrived at Villa Park with another target now speculated to be of interest to the Midlands club.
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Aston Villa ready to battle Chelsea for transfer target Karim Adeyemi
After offloading Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad this week, Villa’s focus in the market appears to be on forwards to replace the Frenchman.
Karim Adeyemi is one player Villa are interested in, as the Daily Mail reported that the Villans had joined the race to sign the winger from Borussia Dortmund.
Valued at £35m by the Bundesliga outfit, Villa aren’t the only Premier League club to be ‘monitoring’ the movements of Adeyemi, as Chelsea are also credited to have interest.
The signing would be a particularly interesting capture for Villa given Diaby’s departure and considering how Emery could utilise the player.
Unai Emery could transform Adeyemi using Leon Bailey inspiration
If there’s one reservation Villa could have surrounding Adeyemi, it’s that he’s very far from being a finished product in the final third.
What the 22-year-old has most prominently is a ‘magnificent’ ability to run with the ball and dart into open space, as Adeyemi was lauded by scout Jacek Kulig, being identifiable for his electric pace on the flank.
Such profile can be attributed to that of Leon Bailey before the 2023/24 season, as the Jamaican was known to be a sometimes dangerous wide player who frequently lacked an end product.
Emery has taken a winger lacking confidence in front of goal to a winger who secured 19 goal contributions in the Premier League last term, something he could now do with Adeyemi.
In the 2022/23 season, Bailey scored four goals and claimed four assists in a lacklustre campaign for Villa but his fortunes were changed by Emery the following year, where he scored 10 Premier League goals and assisted nine.
Adeyemi is a similar profile to the Jamaica international, being a trickster on the wing and capable of showing his potential in front of goal, merely needing to be moulded into a more confident figure when it counts.
Analyst Ben Mattinson echoed such evaluation of the Villa target, backing the winger to become a ‘transitional killer’ if he can develop under the right manager, with Emery being the perfect coach to guide the German.
Given what the Spaniard has done with Bailey, the boss could use his expertise once more with Adeyemi if he is to arrive at Villa Park.
It would be exciting to see the 22-year-old sign for Villa this summer based on what he could offer on the flank and how vast his potential is.
