If Saturday's Premier League opener highlighted one thing for Aston Villa, it is that they need more firepower in attacking areas.
Unai Emery’s side drew 0-0 with Newcastle United, and did look a bit lacklustre going forward.
As per SofaScore, the West Midlands outfit had just three shots at goal in the entire game, which, as the home side, is incredibly disappointing.
All three were on target, but with an expected goals tally of just 0.13 xG, there was certainly a lot left to be desired in the final third.
Aston-Villa
Two things could be reasons for this issue, namely a lack of goalscoring prowess and a lack of creativity. Those things may be addressed in the final days of the transfer window.
Aston Villa's attacking transfer links
Emery has certainly seen an issue in attack, with two new forwards being lined up. One of those is Nicolas Jackson, who previously played under the Spaniard at Villarreal. It was reported in recent days that Villa have opened talks to sign the Chelsea striker.
However, he might not be the only new incoming before Deadline Day on the 1st of September.
Former scout-turned transfer guru Mick Brown told Football Insider he "expects" Marco Asensio will return to Villa Park. He was on loan at the club from French giants Paris Saint-Germain last season, and a deal could once again be struck.
marco-asensio-aston-villa
Brown confirmed that Villa have ‘had talks with PSG about bringing him back’ this summer, and with Emery’s former side ready to sell him towards the end of the window, Villa could pounce. The Spaniard could be available at a cut-price fee of £13m, as per reports earlier this month.
Why Asensio would be a good signing
If the Villans do agree a deal to bring former Real Madrid star Asensio back to the club, they would be acquiring a versatile forward who has already impressed at the club.
The "unbelievable" star, as football scout Antonio Mango once described him, could have a huge impact once again.
Marco Asensio & Marcus Rashford for Aston Villa
Marco Asensio & Marcus Rashford for Aston Villa
Well, there is no doubt that Asensio left a good impression at Villa Park last term. The 29-year-old only played 21 games for the West Midlands side, by scored eight goals and assisted one in that time.
The Spaniard’s underlying stats were impressive last season, too. Across all competitions, he averaged 1.9 key passes and had an expected goal involvement tally of 0.7 expected goal involvements per game. That could be the exact creativity that Villa have missed already this season.
Asensio key stats for Villa (all comps)
Stat
Goals and assists
Key passes
Dribbles completed
Tackles and interceptions
Expected goal involvements
Stats from Sofascore
Combining the former Los Blancos star with Jackson could be a recipe for success for the Villans. Of course, Emery has worked with the Senegalese striker before, and, as per Transfermarkt, oversaw him registering six goals and assists in 27 games for Villarreal.
Nicolas Jackson
In a Chelsea shirt, the 24-year-old has bagged 30 goals and assisted 12 in 81 appearances. He’s scored some crucial goals, too, which included one in the Conference League final and two goals against Villa themselves, including this header in the FA Cup.
Asensio could certainly form a good on-field relationship with Jackson, looking at his creative numbers. With Villa lacking a genuine goalscorer outside of Ollie Watkins, the Spaniard’s creative flair would surely help to bring the very best out of their potential new striker.
But, Asensio is so much more than a creative force. He is a true goalscorer, as he showed for Villa last term.
As Sky Sports analyst Nick Wright pointed out, Jackson excels at making runs, which can be a ‘means of creating space for Chelsea's supporting forwards’. This could be the dream for Asensio, who likes to make darting runs into the box, as the above goal shows.
Marco Asensio celebrates for Aston Villa
Marco Asensio celebrates for Aston Villa
For the cut-price fee of £12.5m, this could be a dream signing for Villa. Not only do they know how good Asensio can be after his loan spell there, but his link-up with Jackson, with the creativity he offers and the way he attacks space, could be ideal for a Villans side lacking goals.