In a recent print edition, La Provence mentioned that Aston Villa are among the clubs looking to recruit Olympique Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi this summer. It has been claimed that the Villans will face competition in the form of West Ham United in the race to land the French midfield ace in this off-season.
Guendouzi’s Decent Campaign In French Football
Guendouzi put in a series of solid performances at the centre of Marseille’s midfield in the previous Ligue 1 campaign. The Poissy-born talent was involved in 43 matches for the French club last season, netting five goals and earning five assists in the process across multiple competitions.
The 24-year-old anchored the midfield well at times by averaging 1.2 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 0.5 clearances per 90 minutes in Ligue 1. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from midfield after completing 87.9% of his attempted passes in the French first division (stats via whoscored).
His current deal at the French club will run out in the summer of 2025. Thus, it won’t be easy for the Villans to win the race for Guendouzi ahead of the new season.
Is Guendouzi A Good Option For Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery?
Guendouzi is a tough-tackling midfielder who can read the danger well to make some timely interceptions for his team at the centre of the park. He usually clears the danger when needed and is a good passer of the ball as well from midfield. Guendouzi is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also act as a defensive midfielder or play in the number ten position if needed.
The French footballer has already got some Premier League experience under his belt during his time at Arsenal and won’t take much time to settle into life at Aston Villa if Unai Emery can devise a way to bring him back to English football.
Guendouzi has what it takes to add more bite and steel to the West Midlands club‘s midfield. He might even help the Villans push for a top-half finish in the English top-flight next season.
With all things considered, Guendouzi would be a decent option for Aston Villa to consider during this summer transfer period as long as they can get a deal done for him on the cheap.
