Might Unai Emery be preparing for life at Aston Villa without mercurial striker Ollie Watkins?
The Englishman has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United, according to a report from the Athletic earlier this week.
Ollie Watkins' Aston Villa statistics
Season
2024/25
2023/24
2022/23
2021/22
2020/21
Via Transfermarkt
He is valued at around £60m by Villa and the report says that a deal would only develop towards the end of the transfer window.
Emery will be keen on bringing in a potential replacement or two should Watkins seek a move elsewhere, that’s for sure.
Ollie Watkins stats (timeless)
Could the Spaniard reignite a swoop for a player he was aiming to sign last summer?
Aston Villa’s search for a forward
Across the transfer window so far, Villa have been linked with various forwards. Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson emerged as a target, as too Porto sensation Samu Aghehowa.
Much depends on how much Emery will need to spend to sign either one this summer, as the club could be priced out of moves for both.
As such, he has returned to a target whom the club came close to signing last summer. According to reports in Turkey (via Sport Witness), Villa are once again chasing a move for Semih Kılıçsoy, with talks having got underway.
besiktas-semih-kilicsoy
The Besiktas forward looked like he could join Villa last year, but the Turkish outfit rejected their offer. 12 months later, however, the youngster might well seal his dream move.
Besiktas are looking for offers in the region of €15m (£13m) and this would allow Emery to sign a talented striker for a knockdown price. Could he become his new Watkins at Villa?
Why Aston Villa must sign Semih Kılıçsoy
Since joining Villa in 2020, the former Brentford striker has racked up 87 goals and 42 assists across 223 matches for the club.
Last season, he netted 16 Premier League goals, yet this was down from his tally of 19 the season prior.
He will turn 30 in December and if Emery can get £60m for him, it would be a shrewd piece of business.
Kılıçsoy, on the other hand, is only 19 and has an extraordinarily bright future ahead. He made his breakthrough in the 2023/24 campaign, registering 12 goals and three assists for Besiktas, emerging as one of the next big talents in European football.
Progress stalled slightly last term, as only eight goal involvements were recorded, but it looks as though a fresh start is required for the teenager.
Hailed as part of the “golden trio” alongside Mustafa Hekimoğlu and Demir Ege Tıknaz by talent scout Jacek Kulig in August 2024, Kılıçsoy has the potential to be a wonderful signing for Villa.
When compared to his peers in the Europa League last term, the Turkish starlet not only ranked in the top 12% for shot-creating actions (3.46), but he also ranked in the top 9% for successful take-ons (1.95) per 90 in the competition.
semih-kilicsoy-besiktas
While goals and assists are his trademarks, the teenager can also dribble effortlessly into dangerous areas and create chances for others.
He is certainly still raw, but as long-term prospects go, Kılıçsoy is as exciting as they come.
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