Southampton should watch out as Aston Villa could target a perfect £15 million Jacob Ramsey replacement.
Aston Villa have now said their farewells to midfielder Jacob Ramsey ahead of an imminent £40 million transfer to Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
The Villa academy product has reportedly travelled to Tyneside to undergo his Toon medical after the two clubs struck a full agreement. It was a difficult decision as Unai Emery is a great admirer of Ramsey and was hoping he could be a key player for the future, but talks over a new contract were stalling.
Villa didn’t want to risk losing Ramsey for below his market value, especially as his sale represents pure profit in respect of PSR. Although the Villans managed to allay fears of a possible PSR breach this summer, the pressure is expected to return next June and Ramsey’s exit will help a great deal.
Leon Bailey is another wide midfielder set for the exit door, with AS Roma currently in talks to bring the Jamaica international to Italy. Birmingham World understands Bailey, who scored just one Premier League goal last season, is one of the players Villa would most like to part ways with to help meet UEFA’s squad cost rules.
Plenty of funds will be acquired and financial concerns can be alleviated, then, but Villa will soon have two voids in their squad. The depth wasn’t ideal as it was, so replacements will need to be signed if Villa are to be able to remain competitive in the Premier League and Europa League.
Aston Villa should hijack £15m Southampton transfer swoop
To replace Ramsey, Villa could look to sign one of the Championship’s most sought-after assets. Jack Rudoni, named Coventry City’s player of the season for 2024/25 after helping Frank Lampard’s side to a fifth-placed finish, could be a superb option for both the left flank and central midfield.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Southampton are ‘in talks’ to sign Rudoni, while Football League World claims Coventry have slapped a £15 million price tag on the midfielder. Newcastle United have been linked with Rudoni in recent weeks but their interest is expected to cool thanks to their Ramsey pursuit.
At that price point, Villa could land a bargain. Emery and his right-hand men Monchi and Damian Vidagany may need to move quickly as Southampton could close in at any given moment, but it’s a deal certainly worth pursuing as there aren’t many better options for such a valuation.
How would Rudoni fit in at Villa?
Still just 24 years of age, Rudoni enjoyed a remarkable first campaign with Coventry after signing from Huddersfield Town for a reported £5 million. The Londoner scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in 43 Championship matches before going on to net once during the Sky Blues’ two-legged play-off semi-final defeat to Sunderland.
As Rudoni is capable of playing in any midfield role - yes, any - he could be an excellent rotation option, especially if Villa go deep in the Europa League. Central midfield and attacking midfield are his preferred roles but he’s played 31 times on the left and on 21 occasions over on the right. Rudoni has even featured as a second striker.
There were times last season when the likes of John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers were run into the ground as Villa had to contend with injuries to Ramsey, Leon Bailey, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana. That would no longer be a problem if Rudoni were to join as he’s comfortably slot into any of those players’ positions.
Not only that, but Rudoni is a workhorse. Emery loves versatile players and especially those who run their socks off. Among fellow attacking midfielders in the Championship last season, Rudoni was in the top 15 per cent for tackles won (31), successful aerial duels (62), interceptions (24), blocks (25), recoveries (146) and duels won (194).
Rudoni managed to rack up those numbers all while scoring nine times from 7.49 expected goals and notching 12 assists from 78 chances created. If he could put up even half of those numbers in the Premier League, he’d be doing well. Villa may not have long with Southampton pushing, but Rudoni is well worth signing – and a proper steal at £15 million.
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