Aston Villa leading the race for “unplayable” talent who’s just Coutinho 2.0
The Villans are seemingly keen to snap up another mercurial Brazilian talent in the January window.
With the January transfer window now in full swing, the wait is on to see if high-flying Aston Villa will bolster their ranks this month, with a senior signing yet to be made by the Midlands side.
While recent reports have indicated that a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade is near completion, the teenager is not expected to make the move to England until the summer, ensuring he is merely more of a long-term addition for those at Villa Park.
There will undoubtedly be a desire to see a more marquee name brought into the club who can immediately impact the first team, although supporters will be wary of getting stung with the signing of a high-profile figure, as they did with a certain Philippe Coutinho two years ago.
According to the latest reports, however, it looks as if the title hopefuls could be said to repeat their prior mistake with the signing of another mercurial Brazilian talent…
Aston Villa want to sign ex-Premier League flop
According to Italian outlet Tuttosport, as relayed by Il Bianconero, Villa are currently leading the race to sign Lazio playmaker, Felipe Anderson, with the former West Ham United man seemingly up for grabs with just six months left on his existing deal in Rome.
The report suggests that the Serie A side are planning to offer the 30-year-old – who is also attracting interest from Juventus – a contract extension until 2028, albeit with Unai Emery’s side currently in the ‘front row’ for his signature, if a new deal is not agreed.
Once West Ham’s club-record signing at £36m, the experienced forward – who is now valued at €15m (£13m) by CIES Football Observatory – lasted just three years at the London Stadium before moving to the Italian capital on a measly £2.6m deal, albeit with the Hammers able to recoup 50% of any future sale.
Felip Anderson’s record in the Premier League
On the face of it, it may seem an astute move for Emery and Monchi to snap up the two-cap Brazil international on the cheap, particularly with Anderson having flourished at the Stadio Olimpico of late, scoring twice and providing seven assists in all competitions this season.
In total, the £47k-per-week enigma has contributed 55 goals and 63 assists in 303 games for his current side across two spells, although that should not cloud what was largely an underwhelming prior stint in English football.
