Aston Villa are reportedly interested in a Premier League gem, as Unai Emery aims to bolster his side this summer.
The transfer window is set to be a busy one for the Spaniard, who has already surpassed expectations in less than a year in charge, booking Villa’s place in Europe after a scintillating recovery of their season.
News emerging this week has placed a Manchester United defender as a potential target, in a player that could be rejuvenated by Emery.
What’s the latest on Harry Maguire to Aston Villa?
As reported by Football Transfers, Aston Villa are interested in United centre-back Harry Maguire.
The Englishman will reportedly be available this summer for a fee in the region of £35m after a tough few years at Old Trafford.
The report states that Tottenham and Everton are eyeing the 30-year-old along with Villa.
What could Harry Maguire bring to Aston Villa?
The last few years have been tough for Maguire, who has been shunned multiple times for poor performances attributable to a lack of confidence.
The 30-year-old has made just eight starts this season in the Premier League, being phased out of the picture at Old Trafford due to the emergence of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
While his performances have not inspired much to be celebrated, the Englishman was not long ago one of the country’s best centre-backs, signed by United back in 2019 for £80m after displaying monstrous performances for Leicester City.
With his time in Manchester reportedly coming to an end, Villa could find themselves with an experienced England international in their ranks and a defender that can compete with the best on his day.
Hailed as “tremendous” by Premier League ace Pascal Gross via GOAL, Maguire could become an anchor in Emery’s defence, and could add a magnitude of experience playing alongside Diego Carlos.
The Brazilian who suffered a traumatic Achilles injury shortly after arriving in the Midlands, has been tipped to be in the Spaniard’s plans for the future, and as shown through the duo’s statistics, could be a force to be reckoned with alongside Maguire.
Going back to the season that inspired United to snatch the Englishman from Leicester, the Sheffield-born ace was operating as one of the league’s best, likened to Virgil Van Dijk for his numbers accumulated that term.
As per FBref, Maguire’s most impressive tool that season was his ability to play out from the back while maintaining defensive stability, averaging a huge 6.59 progressive passes and 1.84 progressive carries per 90.
The Englishman could compliment the defensive attributes of Villa’s “monster”, as lauded by Ollie Watkins, who won a dominant 62% of his total duels in La Liga last season with an average of 4.0 per game, via Sofascore.
It’s integral to have the balance between a ball-carrying centre-back and one that lavishes the nitty-gritty elements, which is what Emery could have in pairing the two giants with heaps of experience under their belts.
The main element to Maguire’s potential re-emergence is his confidence, which could be restored by the Spaniard who has worked miracles on firing Tyrone Mings to reach ultimate highs again in a Villa shirt.
With the transfer window fast approaching, only time will tell if Emery can get his man.