A former Aston Villa chief has been left baffled after hearing some transfer news involving the club and a highly-rated forward, with manager Unai Emery and NSWE said to be potential contenders for his signing.
Emery prepares for Forest as Aston Villa slowly return to form
A nightmare period of form for the Villans is slowly being put to bed, with Emery guiding his Premier League top four hopefuls to two wins from their last two league games.
RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko Related
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Unai Emery will hope this electric Aston Villa star delivers the good away at RB Leipzig.
Crucial victories over Brentford, with Villa running out 3-1 winners against Thomas Frank's side, and Southampton have resurrected the confidence of Emery's side as they look to repeat last season's heroics and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Aston Villa's next five Premier League fixtures Date
Nottingham Forest (away) 14/12/2024
Man City (home) 21/12/2024
Newcastle United (away) 26/12/2024
Brighton (home) 30/12/2024
Leicester City (home) 04/01/2024
However, their next test is far from a walk in the park, as Nuno Espirito Santo's surprise package of the season in Nottingham Forest awaits them at the City Ground at 17:30 this afternoon.
After a dismal run themselves, Forest have picked back up again with two league wins from their last three, so both sides head into this contest on a similar run of form - and we anticipate a very even, hotly-contested clash.
“Forest are always a respected team for us," said Emery on Forest ahead of Villa's clash with them.
"They’re now a rival because they are with the same points that we have. They are doing an amazing job, an amazing season. Last season we played in different circumstances and lost there. I know how much difficulties we are going to face tomorrow. They have Nuno and he was their coach when we played at Villa Park.
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“I can see Nottingham Forest with his face, his identity. He’s always very competitive, Nuno. As a coach, I played against him in Spain and in my experiences in the Premier League against Wolverhampton when I was in Arsenal.
“The matches we played were always difficult for us – we lost against Wolverhampton in that moment. His experience is very important, even in Europe."
Off the pitch, and with the January window looming, there are rumours that Aston Villa are monitoring potential new forward options.
Bryan King baffled after hearing Aston Villa need £66m for Kenan Yildiz
One player who's been linked this week is Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz. It is believed that Villa are tracking Yildiz ahead of a potential move for him in 2025, but the Serie A giants have set an eye-watering price tag of around £66 million for the 19-year-old starlet.
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Speaking to Villa News, their former scout Bryan King has expressed his shock at how much Yildiz will cost Villa to sign next year.
“Forget it, just forget it,” King said. “If we’re talking £25million, with the potential for the fee to rise to £60million, then maybe. However, I wouldn’t put down a straight payment of £66million for a 19-year-old playing for Juventus, who are not the top team in Italy by the way.
“He is one to watch, and one to talk about, but £66million? The game’s gone mad. Where are the incentives anymore? These big payments from Premier League clubs for players are ridiculous. I wouldn’t even contemplate this deal. This is a player who is doing alright, but he isn’t proven.”