Aston Villa have simply been phenomenal this season with Unai Emery’s side sitting second in the Premier League, just three points behind Liverpool in first.
They've also made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016 and made it through to the knock-out stages of the Conference League.
20
13
6
1
45
25
20
13
3
4
42
16
19
12
4
3
40
24
20
12
4
4
40
17
Despite the success so far, however, the Spaniard is keen to recruit extra bodies in January, with a former Premier League star noted as someone who could strengthen Emery's attack.
Aston Villa want former Premier League star
According to Football Transfers, Villa are looking to bring in Wilfried Zaha this January with an approach having been made for both the Ivorian and Lazio's Felipe Anderson, once of West Ham.
Emery is known to be an admirer of the forward having wanted to sign him when he was at Arsenal, but the Palace fan favourite has only recently joined Turkish giant Galatasaray last summer.
Therefore, a move this month seems unlikely, with Zaha also reportedly happy in Turkey.
January transfer window: All the deadline day deals from England and Scotland
Stay on top of all the latest transfer deals across the Premier League, EFL and SPFL as the January window closes.
ByCharlie Smith How Wilfried Zaha compares to Leon Bailey
Crystal Palace icon Zaha left the club last summer to seek a new opportunity after playing 458 games for the club, the most appearances in the Eagles’ history. Over the years, he netted 90 goals and registered 76 assists, often playing across the attack in numerous roles.
However, he has mainly featured on the left wing in Turkey, contributing nine goals in 23 starts across all competitions.
Games Played
14
Goals
3
Assists
0
Wins
5
Draws
3
Defeats
6
Wins at Villa Park
1
With Emery’s variant of the 4-4-1-1, Zaha could slot into the side at either right midfield or as a second striker, with the latter being the most likely.
Moussa Diaby has played in that role this season, but the signing of the ex-Palace man could see him move into his preferred wide right position, ultimately reducing Leon Bailey’s minutes, even though he has made 11 goal contributions in 18 Premier League matches this campaign.
Nonetheless, the table below shows Zaha’s stats from the 2022/23 Premier League season, with the aim of portraying his playstyle and indicating how he would fair at Villa.
Goals
0.28
Top 31%
Successful take-ons
2.16
Top 14%
Shots total
2.52
Top 16%
Touches (Att pen)
5.63
Top 20%
Fouls drawn
3.03
Top 2%
Football scout Antonio Mango previously labelled Zaha "frightening," and his relentless approach certainly supports that. The 31-year-old is a player who affects the game via his close dribbling, eagerness to drive at the opponent, and unleash attempts at goal, as highlighted by his touches in the box, successful take-ons, and shots total.
His pace, power, and athleticism make him extremely difficult to stop, and based on his fouls drawn stat, the only way to stop him is to take him down.
This would see Villa win more set pieces, which they are usually dangerous from, given that they have scored the joint-third most goals from those scenarios in the Premier League this season.
The former United ace isn’t exactly the most prolific goal scorer, but given that he was the focal point in a Palace team that wasn’t dominant, his potential has been harnessed.
However, if he were to sign for Villa, who are the joint-second-highest goal scorers in the Premier League this campaign, Emery would be confident of turning him into a machine, potentially replacing Bailey in the process.