Crystal Palace 0 Aston Villa 0: Matt Maher verdict
Aston Villa are set to announce their second new signing of the January transfer window.
Aston Villa may not have much money to spend but they’re trying to make their mark in the transfer market nonetheless.
The Villans, following on from the acquisition of Brazilian hot prospect Alysson from Gremio, are on track to announce their second signing of the January window. Unai Emery spoke about an intention to get business done, but this is speedier work than expected from Villa as they attempt to plug some gaps in the squad.
Preparing for the future is firmly on the agenda as Alysson, still a teenager at 19, perhaps isn’t quite first-team ready. Meanwhile, it appears Villa are close to bringing in another youngster –and this time he’s not even old enough to have left school!
Villa closing in on £10.4m striker deal
Transfer news guru Fabrizio Romano broke the news on Thursday that Villa had struck an agreement with FC Metz to sign 16-year-old striker Brian Madjo for a fee in the region of €12 million (£10.4m). Now, around 24 hours later, Romano has confirmed that Madjo has arrived in Birmingham with his agents to undergo his medical and seal his move.
As long as Madjo passes his medical tests, he should become a Villa player before the end of the weekend, with his contract starting from Monday. The announcement will really depend on when the media team see fit, as Villa’s priority is their FA Cup third round tie away at Tottenham Hotspur. Madjo may well be in attendance for that game.
Who is Brian Madjo?
With his 17th birthday coming up, Madjo will officially become a professional on January 12. The striker, standing at 6ft 4in, was born in Enfield and has represented both Luxembourg and England at youth level. Madjo has also represented Luxembourg’s senior team, though he can still change his allegiance to England if he wishes.
Madjo, despite his tender age, has been trusted to play in France’s top flight. The teenager has featured five times in Ligue 1, earning his spot in the first team following 12 goals in 24 Championnat National U19 outings.
Due to his physical profile, Madjo has drawn comparisons to Chelsea icon Didier Drogba and Belgium international Romelu Lukaku. Of those two, Manuel Cardoni, Luxembourg’s technical director, rather boldly believes Madjo has a more ‘complete profile’ than Lukaku.
"His profile is similar," said Cardoni. "But, even if we are keeping our feet on the ground, Brian has a more complete profile [than Lukaku], because he is good in tight spaces, really good in terms of positional play. He is also good in terms of going in behind [the defence], and he can also feed the ball with both feet. He has huge room for growth.”
Madjo, who was linked with Chelsea and Real Madrid before Villa swooped in to sign him, is the son of Cameroonian footballer Guy Madjo, who spent a large portion of his career in the English Football League. Madjo should be an exciting addition to Emery’s already glittering ongoing project at Villa Park.
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