Reader’s View: Three players Aston Villa should sign this summer

Every Villa fan will of course recognize that Villa have had an outstanding season made even sweeter by taking into account how close the club were to getting relegated almost twelve months ago.

Discussing who should or should not sign for the club is of course up for debate or should I say a heated debate. With this in mind, this article will give three suggestions of players Aston Villa should look to sign in the upcoming transfer window – whilst there are names that you are likely to have thought of yourself, there may be a couple of players in here you may not have. It is worth noting that this is just my opinion and the players are listed in no particular order.

Before we get into it though, there is no right-back listed as I would say that in tribute to his outstanding season with Strasbourg, Frederic Guilbert should be involved next season, so in my opinion, there is no need to sign another right-back.

1 – Silas Wamangituka (VFB Stuttgart: RM/RW/ST)

Looking at his statistics this season, it is no wonder why Silas Wamangituka will surely be the subject of interest of many a club in the upcoming summer window. Silas has been part of a Stuttgart team that has, like Villa, been surpassing every expectation and are having an excellent season in the Bundesliga, where they currently find themselves ninth.

Wamangituka has been one of the biggest reasons why Die Roten have had such a successful campaign, with the winger netting on eleven occasions so far this season in 25 matches. This can be accompanied with five assists too, which shows how impressive Silas has been this season.

His strongest attributes can be seen as his overall pace, but his overall versatility might make him an even more enticing prospect for Dean Smith. Silas can play in a more withdrawn role on the wing as a right midfielder (on the left or the right) as well as in a more advanced position on either the right or left-wing position. It should be noted that he has played most of his games for Stuttgart on the right flank, so if signed for Villa, he would be on the opposite flank to Jack Grealish.

Silas also has an obvious goal threat and can create goals too in which has been a widely reported problem when Villa are missing their captain. It must be noted that although Silas has not played there too much this year, he is able to be deployed as a striker – which would be very helpful for Dean Smith’s team.

With a market value (according to TransferMarkt) of £22.5m, you would expect a higher fee than this, but Wamangituka would certainly be a shrewd purchase for the Villans.

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2 – Rico Henry (Brentford: LB)

This is an obvious choice, I know, but there is a reason why Rico Henry has been cited as a player that can compete with the excellent, Matt Targett, for the left-back position next season.

Henry has been a regular for the bees this season as the club looks for promotion to the Premier League. The ex-Walsall man has been a big part of their promotion efforts, providing a goal and two assists and he also contributes to Brentford’s engaging style of play with a pass success rate (according to WhoScored) of 79%, which when you consider the fast paced football Brentford play, is certainly impressive.

Henry is also useful in the air - winning, on average, 1.6 aerial duels a game. I realize that statistics alone should not form the entire reason for suggesting or signing a player, but it gives a good indicator as to how good they are.

What of course makes this transfer more realistic is that Henry has previous history with Dean Smith. Smith had Henry at Walsall and Brentford, so he will know precisely what to do to get the best out of him should he sign for Villa. Henry has a market value of £4.5m according to TransferMarkt, but Villa would almost certainly be expected to pay more for his services.

Overall, Henry would be a smart signing for Villa and he would provide healthy competition for Targett.

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3 - Gustavo Assunção (Famalicao: CDM/CM)

If Villa are looking for a midfielder this summer, Gustavo Assunção would almost certainly be an option and he would also fit with the club’s priority of signing young players that can grow. The 21-year-old has been in good form throughout the season in the Portuguese top flight, despite playing in a struggling Famalicao side who currently sit just two points above bottom of the table Maritimo.

Assunção has racked up an impressive passing success rate this season of 88%, which is impressive for a midfielder and when you couple this with 0.9 aerial duels per match, you have a combative midfielder who is not only technically sound, but is also good in the air – qualities that makes the Brazilian midfielder an exciting prospect, especially given he has still got plenty of development to go through. Should Hourihane leave in the summer, Villa could do a lot worse than Gustavo Assunção.

What makes this more appealing is that he has a market value, according to TransferMarkt of £7.2m (although, like the others, you would expect to pay more) makes this potential deal devoid of much risk.

Aston Villa’s future is looking ever brighter and these three players could bring even more success for the Villans next season. Later in the week, there will be another piece that is going to suggest three more players that I think should be on Villa’s radar this summer.

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