Are Aston Villa now able to spend freely?
On Monday, completely coincidentally on the final day of their accounting year, the Villans sold their women’s team to themselves, thereby avoiding breaching the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability Rules.
So now, having avoided a potential points deduction, Unai Emery will be looking to bolster his squad, so could Villa land a new striker?
Aston Villa targeting attacking reinforcements
Jhon Durán has to go down as one of the best pieces of business in modern Premier League history, joining Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023 for a reported fee of around £13m, having made just 27 appearances for the Men in Red in Major League Soccer, scoring eight goals.
Well, two years later, following his scoring spree at the start of last season, Durán was sold to Al-Nassr for £71m last January, representing a near 600% return on investment, easing the Villans’ PSR concerns.
Well, the Colombian is back in the news again because, after a miserly 18 appearances in Saudi Arabia, scoring 12 goals, he is reportedly set to join José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, continuing one of the more unique and bizarre career arcs.
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Well, speaking of İstanbul-based giants, a report by TurkishFootball.com claims that Villa are in talks with Beşiktaş over the possibility of signing striker Semih Kılıçsoy, adding that he is valued at €15m (£13m).
Well, the Black Eagles themselves, who are managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjær these days, have just signed Tammy Abraham from AC Milan for the exact same amount, with the England international having been handed Kılıçsoy’s number nine shirt.
In response to this, journalist Fırat Günayer stated that he would be “surprised” if Kılıçsoy was still with Beşiktaş by the end of the transfer window, adding “there are a few offers… on the table”.
So, could the 19-year-old be set to swap the Bosphorus for Birmingham?
Why Semih Kılıçsoy could replicate Jhon Durán's success at Aston Villa
After joining Beşiktaş as an 11-year-old, Kılıçsoy made his Süper Lig debut against Antalyaspor in February 2023, before scoring his first goal for the Black Eagles during a Conference League qualifying victory over KF Tirana five months later.
In total, he has netted 16 times in 85 appearances for the Turkish giants, winning the Türkiye Kupası in 2024, his most notable goal coming against Malmö in the Europa League last November, this coming in a 2-1 victory at Tüpraş Stadyumu.
His performances have earned international recognition too, debuting for Türkiye against Italy at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara last June, subsequently included in Vincenzo Montella’s Euros squad.
Given his performances, analyst Ben Mattinson has dubbed him a “very powerful” forward, while Luis Kircher of Total Football Analysis believes that he is known for his ‘lethal finishing capabilities’ and ‘versatility’, forecasting that he will become a ‘prolific’ goalscorer at the elite level in the coming years.
So, let’s see how Kılıçsoy compares to Durán, prior to his move to Villa from Illinois.
Appearances
85
75
Minutes
4,227
4,182
Goals
16
17
Assists
9
10
Senior international caps
4
3
As the table outlines, Durán, prior to joining Aston Villa, and Kılıçsoy right now boast similar levels of experience, with the Turkish striker actually having accumulated more senior appearances and minutes, scoring just one fewer goal. He also boasts that necessary “selfish” streak that the Colombian possesses, as Mattinson noted.
Also, Durán had played in Colombia’s Categoría Primera A and MLS which, according to Global Football Rankings, are the 32nd and ninth-strongest leagues in the world, with the Turkish Süper Lig somewhere in the middle at 18th.
Thus, it is clear that Kılıçsoy is a high-quality, high-potential player, one that is seemingly on the way out of Beşiktaş, suggesting he is available and more than talented enough to be a star at Villa Park.
Potentially arriving as a relative unknown teenager, in a similar vein to Duran, the promising marksman could be Emery’s next Villa success story.
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