In a recent report, Bild (via Sport Witness) claimed that Aston Villa are facing tough competition for Mainz winger Brajan Gruda this summer. It has been mentioned that the Villans would have to rival Newcastle United, Liverpool, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in the race to land the German wide player later this year.
Gruda’s Impressive Rise In German Football
The 19-year-old had a decent campaign in the Bundesliga as he managed to put in a run of impressive performances on the right side of Mainz’s attack. Gurda has registered four goals and grabbed three assists in 29 matches for his current employers this season in various competitions.
The talented teenager has been a good performer in the final third and deserves credit for averaging 1.1 shots, 1.5 key passes and 2.5 dribbles per game in Bundesliga. However, he needs to improve his ball distribution in the opposition half after completing 71.4% of his attempted passes in the German first division (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at the German club will expire in the summer of 2026 which could make it difficult for the Villans to snap him up on a cut-price deal in the upcoming transfer period.
Aston Villa Are Facing Tough Competition For Gruda: Is He Worth The Fight?
Gruda is a decent dribbler with the ball and can make a few driving runs with the ball out on the flanks. He has got the vision to engineer a few promising chances for his teammates in the final third and can shoot the ball with venom and accuracy from long range. The German youngster has done well to add a handful of goals and assists to his game this season but needs to find a way to improve his link-up in the opponent’s half.
Gruda is primarily a right-sided wide player but can also play in the number ten position or as a centre-forward if told to do so. We can expect him to bring more firepower to Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery’s frontline.
Gruda is good enough to offer some healthy competition for Leon Bailey at the West Midlands club in the coming seasons. Thus, he would be well worth the fight, so the Villans would be wise to step up their chase to sign the gifted wing wizard this summer.
