Aston Villa

Aston Villa could sign “superb” £17m ace who plays like Alphonso Davies

Published

6 months ago

January 7, 2024

The Aston Villa faithful will be absolutely thrilled by their team’s season so far, as they currently sit second in the Premier League.

They are also fighting for silverware in cup competitions such as the FA Cup, with their most recent victory being a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough.

With ambition high at the club, Unai Emery is keen to improve his squad by signing a new star this January.

Aston Villa transfers latest – Samuel Iling-Junior

According to a Football Insider report from the end of December, Villa are interested in signing Samuel Iling-Junior, who has been labelled as “simply superb” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

A fee of £17m would be enough to sign the Juventus player, with the Old Lady content with letting him go.

The English star is also keen to part ways with the Italian giant, and he could be on his way out of the club this winter.

Samuel Iling-Junior’s style of play

Iling-Junior has shown plenty of promise during his limited minutes under Massimiliano Allegri.

The 20-year-old has featured nine times this season and started only once, which was in the Italian Cup victory over Salernitana.

The England U21 star is a left winger by trade, but he has been utilised as more of a left wing back/ defensive left midfielder at Juve, which has drawn comparisons to Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich, who also made the switch from attack to defence.

The aforementioned Kulig also recognises the similarities between the two players, comparing the Englishman’s profile to the Canadian’s.

The table below shows a handful of Iling-Junior’s statistics from the last year across the top European Leagues and how they compare to his positional peers.

As you can see, Iling-Junior has taken on the more defensive role superbly. Due to his Davies-like pace and burst of acceleration, he is extremely difficult to get past.

He is also a tenacious tackler who times each challenge well, and he can win the ball back at both ends of the field. Defending in 1v1 scenarios is where the Juve ace thrives, as shown by his high dribblers tackled statistics.

Furthermore, his ability to cover ground and provide support up and down the left flank is incredible.

This makes him strong in transitions, providing overloads via overlaps while also tracking back to prevent counterattacks.

His energy and intensity would be a perfect fit for Emery’s philosophy.

From an in-possession perspective, he can carry the ball brilliantly, and he is comfortable receiving the ball high up the field, even in tight spaces.

His winger traits are also displayed in each game, and he is not afraid to bomb on forward to get involved in the attack, as highlighted by his high touches in the attacking penalty area and goals + assists per ninety.

Iling-Junior is a versatile young player who has plenty of potential that has yet to be fully showcased at Juventus.

Although the fee is steep for the lack of experience, Villa would be purchasing a player that can develop and shine for years to come, as well as right now, and therefore, it seems like a smart move.