Aston Villa must look at one possible transfer target this summer to bolster their Champions League chances in 2024/25.
Since Unai Emery’s arrival, Aston Villa have gone from being relegation candidates to qualifying for the Champions League.
After driving his squad to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, the Spaniard will be eager to strengthen his side this summer in preparation for the prestigious tournament.
While a host of players have already been linked to Villa Park, Emery and Monchi must consider one former Premier League player based on fresh reports from elsewhere in Europe.
Why Aston Villa should consider a transfer swoop for Sebastien Haller
This week, Fabrizio Romano relayed that Borussia Dortmund were aiming to ‘advance’ in their pursuit of Bundesliga marksman Serhou Guirassy.
The news could see current second-choice forward Sebastien Haller fall further down the pecking order, which could present an interesting prospect to Aston Villa.
While the Ivorian and Villa haven’t been linked, the Villans could bolster their depth in attack by testing the water to sign the 29-year-old.
Haller has proven his goalscoring prowess all over Europe, contributing to 227 goals in 393 domestic appearances in his career, via Transfermarkt, telling of his potency in the final third.
The former West Ham striker wouldn’t be expected to usurp Ollie Watkins although, he could provide the perfect cover for the Englishman, possessing something that the 28-year-old doesn’t have.
Haller could hand Unai Emery a striker with Champions League experience
While the Villa squad isn’t lacking in quality, it is lacking in experience when it comes to challenging at the top of the Premier League table and in the Champions League.
For this reason, capturing a goalscorer as experienced at elite level as Haller could be a smart move for the Villans.
Despite being lauded as ‘outstanding’ by Declan Rice during Sky Sports’ coverage of West Ham v Sheffield United [22/11/2020 – 15:53], Haller didn’t quite show his worth in England at the London Stadium.
The striker netted just 14 goals in claret and blue during his 18-month stint in East London, before being captured by Ajax in January 2021.
Ironically for the Hammers, the campaign after Haller scored a remarkable 34 goals in 43 appearances for the Eredivisie side, including netting 11 goals in only eight Champions League appearances.
What Villa could offer that West Ham couldn’t at the time is a consistent creative outlet, with Emery’s attack being capable of providing the 29-year-old with chances.
For his proven strength in the box and the fact he could offer an alternative option to Watkins, Emery should keep an eye on Haller’s movements this summer, with his Champions League scoring record nothing short of impeccable.
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