Aston Villa make contact to sign "animal" who can be Douglas Luiz 2.0
0
0
Aston Villa will need to deliver the performance of a lifetime against PSG next week in order to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The 3-1 loss at the Parc des Princes wasn’t the worst result in the world, but Unai Emery’s side are certainly up against it ahead of the second leg at Villa Park.
Despite the chance to do something special this season, the manager is also thinking about the future, as he looks to strengthen his squad during the summer transfer window.
Might Villa be set to raid Barcelona at the end of the campaign?
Aston Villa eye up move for Barcelona midfielder
According to a report from Spain, Villans sporting director Monchi is eyeing up a couple of players from Barcelona ahead of the summer window opening.
Andreas Christensen and Marc Casado are the two names mentioned as targets for the club, and both would be excellent signings, especially the latter.
The report goes on to state that Monchi has already made contact to hold ‘discreet discussions’ to bring the midfielder to the Premier League ahead of the 2025/26 season.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the club have signed a number six from a European giant, before turning him into a star; Douglas Luiz is a prime example.
Marc Casado could be Villa’s next Douglas Luiz
Luiz failed to make an impression at Manchester City before Villa came calling and transformed him into one of the best midfielders in the top flight.
Last season, the Brazilian was sublime. In the Premier League, Luiz created ten big chances, averaged 1.5 key passes per game, and succeeded with 60% of his dribbles, highlighting how effective he was going forward.
|
Douglas Luiz’s stats in the PL for Villa last season |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Assists |
5 |
|
Big chances created |
10 |
|
Total duels won per game |
4.2 |
|
Tackles per game |
1.7 |
|
Shots per game |
1.4 |
Casado might not be at those sorts of levels quite yet, having registered just three big chances created in La Liga, along with averaging 0.4 key passes per game and succeeding with 50% of his dribble attempts.
Given time, however, there is no doubt the 21-year-old could turn into a player that will register the sort of statistics that Luiz did last season for the club.
The Barcelona starlet is an excellent passer, ranking in the top 7% for passes attempted (75) per 90 and in the top 6% for pass completion percentage (89.8%) per 90 when compared to his peers in the Spanish top flight this season.
Furthermore, when compared to positional peers in the Champions League this term, Casado ranks in the top 17% for progressive passes (5.98) and in the top 24% for goal-creating actions (0.34) per 90.
Given his age and potential for development, these statistics should get even better with age, no doubt about that.
The midfielder has even won two caps for Spain and was praised by teammate Bryan Zaragoza after the tie against Switzerland in November 2024.
Zaragoza said: “He’s an animal. I don’t even know what to say about how he played. He’s barbaric.”
A move to Villa might just allow Casado to flourish in the Premier League and ensure the club sign Douglas Luiz 2.0 in the process.
Related
Emery struck gold on Aston Villa star worth more than Doue & Kvaratskhelia
Aston Villa made a brilliant investment with this player
https://static0.footballfancastimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/aston-villa-midfielder-douglas-luiz-1.jpg
