Aston Villa are considering a move to sign a La Liga star who has been deemed the new ‘Antoine Griezmann’ for their summer transfer.
Aston Villa transfer business in the summer might be related to younger targets instead of the established names due to Unai Emery’s objective to slowly revamp the squad for long-term success instead of the short-term one. One name has emerged as the potential target, as Teamtalk reported.
“Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is pushing for the club to explore a move for Real Sociedad star Ander Barrenetxea.”
The Spanish boss seems to be a fan of versatile forwards for his team to add to the squad depth. The current Sociedad winger appears to tick all the boxes on his skill.
Ander Barrenetxea rose to prominence in the Real Sociedad first team in 2019 and has been a vital part of the team. He has helped them qualify for the Champions League in the 2022/23 season, plus clinch Copa del Rey twice, in 2020 and this season.
His style of play has been deemed similar to Antoine Griezmann’s, who was also the product of the Real Sociedad academy. Despite only bagging 28 goals and 18 assists in 234 appearances, Barrenetxea is more well-known for being influential in the team’s attack. He excels in creativity, technical skills, and clever movement in the final third to break the deadlock. His versatility to play on both flanks also contributes to La Real’s success in the past few years.
Based on the data in FotMob, the San Sebastian-born forward has a higher expected assist compared to expected goals, 4.67 for xA to 2.62 xG. His successful pass rate is 80.3%, while his successful dribble rate is 47.4%. Meanwhile, his rate of accurate long balls is up to 49.1%. His defensive contribution is quite high too, with 30 tackles and 15 interceptions.
In short, Barrenetxea could bring unpredictability to the team’s dynamic. Such would be very useful in Emery’s team for competing better and staying at the higher level.
Barrenetxea is still tied up to his current contract until 2030, and his buy-out clause reaches up to around £65 million. That could be an obstacle for Villa to sign him. Should Emery push the management to do so, it would be a record signing in the club’s history. Currently, Amadou Onana holds that record, with his £52 million signing fee when he joined the Lions.
What’s more, Emery’s side are not the only ones which are attracted to signing the winger with still one international cap. Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal have been reportedly scouting him this year.
It will be interesting to see if Villa are so ambitious that they would break the bank to support Emery’s team refurbishment. Real Sociedad’s connection with the current Sporting Director, Robert Olabe, could hold the key to this transfer plan.
The post Aston Villa keen on La Liga star compared to Antoine Griezmann for summer transfer appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.