Gregg Evans has reported that Aston Villa are set to go back in for midfield target Yves Bissouma when the summer transfer window opens.
Aston Villa were indeed looking to bring in another impressive recruit during January alongside Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne when it emerged that Bissouma was firmly on their radar as Steven Gerrard looked to improve his midfield.
However, the Mali international had a price tag of no less than £45 million on his head and was away at the Africa Cup of Nations, so would not have been able to arrive in the Midlands immediately, anyway. However, in the summer he’ll have just 12 months left in his contract, so could be a lot easier to land.
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So what could be in store for Villa if they pulled the signing off?
Douglas Luiz replacement found?
If Bissouma was to arrive, it could be argued that he would immediately go into the team in place of Douglas Luiz as they play in similar positions. Indeed, their stats are nowhere near the same, as Bissouma leads the league in percentage of tackles won, whereas Luiz has won just 36.1% of his, compared to Bissouma’s 81.3% (as per FBRef).
Having someone like Bissouma who can essentially operate as a solid holding midfielder and comfortably protect the back four would help Aston Villa become a lot more front-footed if they know they’ve got someone who will gladly shepherd the defence all game.
There were reports in January suggesting that Luiz could be leaving Villa, and if that’s the case, it would make sense for them to cash in and spend that money recruiting someone younger and better equipped to play as a holding midfielder, so it may not be impossible to see Luiz’s future having an effect on their interest in Bissouma.
Nakamba worried?
If Luiz should be thinking about his future beyond this season with Aston Villa, then Marvelous Nakamba may already be kissing goodbye to his chances playing under Steven Gerrard. The Zimbabwe international suffered a knee injury before Christmas, so may find it difficult to get back into the first team when he returns given how much Jacob Ramsey has grasped his opportunity.
So if Bissouma was to sign, he would have players such as Ramsey, John McGinn and Luiz all ahead of him in the pecking order in addition to the Malian, which may be no surprise when you look at Nakamba’s defensive stats, particularly ones that show he’s made fewer tackles than all of the current Villa players mentioned above.
Nakamba has previously been linked with a move to Newcastle United, so they could look to strike up a cut-price sale of the midfielder as they only have to recoup £11 million to make their money back.
Much like with Luiz’s future, Nakamba could be a useful member of the squad for Gerrard, but if Villa can make a profit on him or even just get their money back, it would make much more sense to move for Bissouma, especially when he’s proving to be one of the best in his position throughout the Premier League, just by looking at where he ranks when it comes to tackles won.
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