Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be hoping to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window in a bid to see his team secure another top-four finish in the Premier League.
Several areas in the first-team squad need improvement ahead of the second half of the campaign and this could see the manager target a few new signings.
While he may be looking at players from the big five leagues, could his first signing come from slightly closer to home?
Aston Villa transfer news
As reported by journalist Graeme Bailey at the end of December, Villa are just one of the teams showing interest in Celtic’s German winger, Nicolas Kuhn, ahead of potentially making a move this month.
His agent declared late last year that if Kuhn were to leave Celtic, he would command a transfer fee of around £25m, although he has been touted to be worth as much as £30m elsewhere.
Emery faces stiff competition from Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for the winger, but if the right offer is made, he may have a great chance at landing the Celtic star.
Kuhn could offer Villa shades of Jack Grealish given his playing style and this would appeal to the supporters.
Nicolas Kuhn could have shades of Grealish
Grealish is arguably one of the finest talents to play at Villa Park in recent memory. Across 213 appearances, the Englishman scored 32 times while registering 41 assists before sealing a move to Manchester City in 2021.
A wonderful dribbler who always demonstrated his creative talents, Grealish shone in a Villa jersey and there is no doubt Kuhn could do the same, especially judging by the fact he can offer similar qualities to that of the current City star.
Typically deployed on the right wing this season, the German has registered an impressive 25 goal contributions – 14 goals and 11 assists – in all competitions. Much like Grealish during his days at Villa, Kuhn can not only score himself, but can also create a multitude of chances for others.
It is no wonder he was hailed as “magical” by Brendan Rodgers during pre-season after a wonderful display against Man City and he would make for an ideal replacement for Leon Bailey, who is struggling.
Following the heights of last term, where he scored 14 goals for the club, Bailey has failed to find the back of the net this season, recording just three assists.
Metric
Premiership
Champions League
Goals
7
2
Assists
6
1
Key passes per game
2.3
1.8
Big chances created
7
4
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
2.3
Domestically, not only has Kuhn averaged more shots per game (2.3 vs 1.1) than Bailey, but he has also created more big chances (seven vs three), averaged more key passes per game (2.1 vs 0.8) and more successful dribbles per game (1.9 vs one) which suggests that the German would be more effective in the final third.
Emery could sell Bailey in the transfer window and replace him with the Celtic star in what would be an interesting move. With his Grealish-like attributes, the former RB Salzburg sensation could swiftly emerge as a crowd favourite, similar to what he has done at Parkhead.
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£25-£30m may be a lavish fee, but it is clear that Kuhn is ready for the next step.
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