It wasn't too long ago that Aston Villa were mired in the Championship, doom and gloom the prognosis for a proud football club who had lost their way and paid the price of years of poor recruitment and rudderless leadership.
Dean Smith proved the hero who guided them back up, but who can argue against the later appointment of Unai Emery following Steven Gerrard's struggles in the Villa Park dugout?
This is to say that Emery has changed things across this patch of the Midlands, with the Villans, fourth in the Premier League, in a promising position as they chase a second Champions League campaign in three years. The Spaniard is repeatedly eyed by some of Europe's biggest outfits, and there is a good reason for it.
While Villa have adopted a successful attritional approach at times in recent months, there's no question that they have lost some of the attacking mojo that defined their winning run earlier in the year. They need to get that back, and they are planning to ring a few changes in the summer transfer market.
Aston Villa could land Champions League player for bargain fee
Aston Villa have inched closer toward the Europa League title, beating Bologna 3-1 in Italy in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. However, Jonathan Rowe certainly stood out for the hosts, alerting the Villa fanbase to his presence and potential to play a future role in Emery's squad.
Jonathan Rowe vs Aston Villa
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Jadon Sancho is likely to end his loan spell at the club this summer, after all, with Borussia Dortmund keen. Rowe was the subject of scouting missions from a number of Premier League clubs at Villa Park, and if Aston Villa were not a part of that pack, they will be now.
There's no doubt that Rowe is a talented winger and an attractive option for Villa, but he might not be the perfect pick to consolidate their position in the Champions League next season.
Instead, NSWE may be lining up a move for Lois Openda, who has left a lot to be desired at Juventus this season but who previously hit prolific heights in Germany with RB Leipzig.
lois-openda
That's according to Football Insider, who reveal that Juventus are willing to let the Belgium international leave for a bargain price this summer after a rather disastrous year in Turin.
Juventus must pay Leipzig £40m as part of an obligatory agreement when he moved to Italy last summer, but it hasn't worked out, and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Juve will "try and find an exit solution" for the talented forward.
Why Lois Openda would be Aston Villa's answer to Jonathan Rowe
Openda is a natural goalscorer, but he works well in a partnership and has been largely prolific throughout his nomadic career. The Old Lady have not worked out for the 26-year-old, but he boasts an enviable wider resume.
Lois Openda - Career Stats by Club
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Rowe might be something of an enticing pick after his destructive first-leg display against Emery's side, but he has only posted two goals and two assists apiece in Serie A this season, leaving much to be desired in the final third.
Aston Villa are probably going to lose the fleet-footedness of Sancho this summer, and what's to say that a player such as Rowe would mark an upgrade down the right flank?
Of course, Openda's hardly had a good season in Italy himself, but the Belgian has hit some heights before, hailed for his "terrifying" attacking skillset by The Athletic's Seb Stafford-Bloor.
Blistering speed and deadly finishing are recurring themes throughout Openda's career as an elite attacker. During the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign, he scored 24 goals and supplied seven assists across 34 matches, creating 11 big chances and covering ground across the frontline.
In Italy, he hasn't found anything close to similar success, though he hasn't been afforded much of an opportunity, scoring once but starting only five fixtures.
openda-juventus
With Ollie Watkins, 30, ostensibly declining, and uncertainty hanging like a raincloud over Morgan Rogers' form and future, this is exactly the kind of move that Emery should be making. The esteemed coach knows how to get a tune out of a previously struggling player, after all.
Openda has proven himself as a deadly goalscorer in the past, and though it hasn't worked out at Juventus, he has shown enough in the past to suggest that he could be a jackpot signing for Aston Villa, a furious and direct talent who would prove a much better signing than Rowe.
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