da apostaganha： Aston Villa are now on a mission to add depth and quality.
da winzada777： In a stunning second half of the season, which ended with seven consecutive home victories and a total of 49 points from 25 games including victories against Manchester United and Tottenham, Brighton (twice), and Chelsea, meant they ended a long-awaited 13 absence from European football.
The Midlands outfit miraculously climbed from the brink of relegation to a Europa Conference League qualification spot.
They now face the exciting task of preparing for the demands of playing in multiple competitions, and look to add to the impressive signings of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres.
Strengthening wide attacking areas has been described as ‘the most pressing’ concern, and with the attempted capture of Moussa Diaby proving to be tricky, the club may turn their attention to Jeremy Doku.
What’s the latest on Jeremy Doku to Aston Villa?
According to Ghana Soccer Net (via Sport Witness), Villa have seen an initial bid of €25m (£22m) for the Doku rejected, but a deal could be completed quickly if they raise their offer.
The Rennes whiz has been described as one of Unai Emery’s 'key targets', but Villa’s proposal was not enough to persuade the French club to proceed with talks.
The report details that Rennes is seeking a fee in the region of €40m (£35m) and if an agreement is reached with a second offer then the deal could be completed by the end of the week.
What can Jeremy Doku bring to Aston Villa?
Doku has been at Rennes since 2020, but last season, in what was his most productive year, he has been catapulted into the spotlight.
Across 35 appearances across all competitions, the Belgian, who was once hailed as “amazing” by Jacek Kulig, recorded 11 goal involvements. However, his most eye-catching attribute has been his dribbling, in which he even trumps Diaby.
The 21-year-old outperforms his elder for progressive carries per 90 (6.95 vs 4.04) and successful take-ons per 90 (6.59 vs 1.77). Even more impressively, these figures mean that Doku ranks within the best 1% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for the aforementioned metrics.
The winger has merged this scintillating directness with some sensational creativity. Although Doku only managed two assists in Ligue 1 last term, he sits within the top 1% for xAG (expected assisted goals), which demonstrates that if he was partnered with more clinical forwards he could achieve some frightening numbers.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe was perhaps ahead of the curve in how he rates Doku as back in 2021, he said:
“Recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed qualities, that is Doku, at Rennes.
"In five years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power."
With this spectacular profile, Doku can be viewed as an equal to Diaby, and an easier target to acquire.
Villa has recently just submitted a second bid for the Bayer Leverkusen gem of around €50m (£43m), which the Germans are yet to formally respond to.
Although Diaby has a more well-known and esteemed reputation, the ridiculous numbers behind Doku’s rapidly mounting potential would make a dream alternative for Unai Emery.