Aston Villa have not had the best of luck with their loan signings from fellow Premier League clubs this season, as Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott have both struggled to make an impact.
Elliott, who joined on loan from Liverpool, has only played 171 minutes across five appearances in all competitions for the Villans this season, per Sofascore, and has produced one goal and no assists.
Harvey Elliott for Aston Villa
Sancho, meanwhile, has no goals and no assists in 15 games for Aston Villa, per Sofascore. He played 61 minutes on the right wing against Arsenal on Tuesday night without registering a shot on goal or creating a 'big chance' for his side.
Why Aston Villa must move on from Sancho and Elliott
TEAMtalk recently reported that Elliott is in limbo because there is no a recall clause in his loan and he has already played for two teams this season, which means that a third side cannot rescue him for the second half of the campaign.
Meanwhile, it was also recently reported that Manchester United are considering recalling Sancho from his loan amid interest from Como, Dortmund, and Monaco, in order to sell him in the January transfer window.
Whether it happens in January or in the summer, Aston Villa should move on from both of these players because they have failed to prove themselves to be valuable players on the pitch under Unai Emery.
Sancho Enzo
They have one goal and no assists between them in 20 appearances, and that is not good enough for two players who play in attacking midfield positions and should be influencing matches at the top end of the pitch.
Villa could move on from needing to use either of them in the second half of the season, though, by swooping to sign one of their reported targets.
Why Aston Villa must sign this Bundesliga star
In November, TEAMtalk reported that Aston Villa are keeping tabs on Julian Brandt's situation at Borussia Dortmund, as his contract is due to expire at the end of this season, with a possible January exit on the cards.
Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt applauds fans after the match
More than a month later and the Germany international is still yet to put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Bundesliga side, which suggests that there is still a chance for the Villans to make their move for him this month.
With this in mind, Emery should push the board to put an offer on the table for the versatile attacking midfielder, because he could arrive at Villa Park as a clear upgrade on Sancho and Elliott, allowing the manager to permanently ditch them.
julian-brandt-borussia-dortmund
Brandt has scored four goals in his last three matches for Dortmund in all competitions, per Sofascore, which means that Villa would be signing him in a good moment, at the top of his game.
The 29-year-old midfield magician, who was once dubbed "outstanding" by Nico Schlotterbeck, is a vastly experienced player, with 366 Bundesliga games under his belt, but he is far from past his best, as shown by his performances this season.
25/26 season Brandt Elliott + Sancho
Appearances 20 22
xG 4.26 1.43
Goals 8 1
xA 2.40 1.40
Big chances created 5 2
Assists 2 0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Brandt has nine more goal contributions on his own than Elliott and Sancho have combined in all competitions, which speaks to the impact he can have at the top end of the pitch.
The £118k-per-week star is a reliable performer because he has consistently delivered throughout his Bundesliga career. Per Transfermarkt, the attacking midfielder has assisted eight or more assists in six of the last seven seasons.
julian-brandt-dortmund-bundesliga
This suggests that he would bring fantastic creativity to the team at Villa Park in the second half of this season and beyond, possibly creating high-quality chances for the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins to convert.
Brandt, who can play in any of the three roles behind the striker, also brings a goal threat with him, as evidenced by his eight goals so far this season, which shows that he can offer quality in various ways, rather than just being a creator or just being a scorer.
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The Villans are making plans amid their title race.
Therefore, Villa must push hard to get a deal done for the German talent because he has the experience and the quality to be a fantastic addition to the squad, which would also allow Emery to permanently ditch Elliott and Sancho, who have underperformed.