Aston Villa have all but secured the late loan signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United. Fabrizio Romano has given the move his famous “here we go” tag, which has essentially confirmed that a deal has been struck.
Without doubt, Villa require attacking reinforcements, given they are yet to score in any of their three games this season. Sancho is not the only forward who could switch to Villa Park on deadline day.
Aston Villa plot next move after Sancho
Aside from making a late move for Sancho, it has been reported by The Mail’s Simon Jones (09:21) that Unai Emery’s side are one of the clubs ‘showing late interest’ in signing Newcastle United striker William Osula.
Transfer Focus
With Villa ‘scouring the market for forward options’ before the window slams shut at 7pm today, as per Jones, Osula is one of the latest names to crop up.
The price is not yet clear, but he cost the Magpies £15m last summer, so they would surely want to make that money back, at least.
Why Osula would be a good signing
There is no doubt that Osula is far from the finished article. At just 22 years of age and with minimal Premier League experience under his belt, he is someone who Emery can help develop as a striker over the next few years.
The Denmark under-21 international has experience in the EFL and Premier League. Overall, he has 38 top-flight games under his belt, finding the back of the net twice, both for Newcastle, with one coming this season against Liverpool.
However, he has only played 1013 minutes, the equivalent of just 11 full 90 minutes.
The 22-year-old shone for Denmark at the under-21 European Championships this summer. His record was impressive, with three goals and two assists in just four games.
In that time, he averaged 1.5 key passes per game. That is the sort of quality Villa could be signing.
Mins
46.5
185
Shots on target
2.9
6
Goals
1.5
3
Key passes
1.5
3
Assists
1
2
Aerial duels won
1.5
3
It is easy to see how Osula could become Villa’s own Alexander Isak. Of course, the Newcastle connection is there, with both strikers also hailing from Scandinavia.
The 22-year-old is, of course, a Dane, and Isak was born just outside of Stockholm.
However, they both have similar builds, too. Osula is a tall striker standing at six feet and four inches, the same height as Isak. Both use their lanky frames to match defenders physically, and their long stride and powerful running style help them get a yard on opponents in a foot race.
That tall frame and big physicality are perhaps why Osula has been compared to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in the past. His former teammate Curtis Davies once described him as a “poor man’s Haaland”, and with his build, it is easy to see why.
If the Dane can have the same impact at Villa Park that Isak had at St James’ Park, he will be a huge success.
The Liverpool-bound star bagged 62 goals and assisted 11 in 109 games for Eddie Howe’s side.
This could be a bargain for Villa. Osual is far from being the finished article, but with his profile and build, he has all the tools to make it as a successful striker in the Premier League. With some guidance from Emery, the Villans could have an exciting prospect on their hands.