Aston Villa are blessed with two exciting strikers. Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran are two of the most reputable centre-forwards in the Premier League, and both have excellent goal records this season to show for it.
The “unstoppable” Watkins, as Jamie Carragher once described him, has scored eight times and has six assists in all competitions for the Villans this term. Emi Martinez believes Duran can be “one of the best strikers in the world”, and his 12 goals this season suggest he is playing well.
Although they are already spoiled for choice up front, Unai Emery seems eager to add even more depth to their frontline. They have recently been linked with one man who will bring quality to their attack.
Aston Villa target new attacker
The player in question here is Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani. The 26-year-old has not been a regular under Luis Enrique this season, and could now leave the club in the January transfer window.
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According to a report from journalist Ben Jacobs, the Villans are one of the sides to have “considered” a move for the Frenchman this winter. However, they will not be alone in their race for his signature.
Fellow Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are also interested, as are Italian giants Juventus and German outfit Bayern Munich.
Should Villa manage to win the race for Kolo Muani, it seems like it would only be on a loan deal. However, it is not clear at this stage if that would include a buy clause, obligatory or otherwise, or whether it would just be a loan.
Why Kolo Muani would be a good signing
As aforementioned, it has not been an easy season for France international Kolo Muani. The striker has barely featured for PSG this term, playing 14 times across all competitions, with two goals to his name so far.
Incredibly, the PSG number 23 has played just 453 minutes in the 2024/25 season, which is the equivalent of around five full 90-minute games. It is fair to say opportunities have been sparse for him this term.
However, there is no doubting Kolo Muani’s ability, even if he has not been able to show that in the French capital this season. He is a France international who has eight goals in 27 caps and has scored at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.
The 26-year-old was also fantastic for his old club, Eintracht Frankfurt. In his only full season with the Bundesliga outfit, he scored 23 goals and grabbed 17 assists in 46 appearances. Off the back of that campaign, German legend Lothar Matthaus described him as a “future superstar”.
Interestingly, the striker’s best season in the Bundesliga is far better than another Villa target, Donyell Malen. The Dutchman, who plies his trade at Borussia Dortmund, is a target for the Villans and negotiations are ongoing.
Malen, who used to be part of Arsenal’s academy, has scored and assisted 16 goals in a single German top-flight season twice. In 2022/23 he was fantastic, with nine goals and seven assists, although he was still outperformed by Kolo Muani.
Not only did the Frenchman get more goals and assists in 2022/23 than Malen, but he also outperformed him in several key FBref metrics.
For example, the PSG star averaged 0.43 goals per shot on target and 0.89 goals and assists per game. In comparison, Dortmund’s number 21 averaged 0.3 goals per shot on target and 0.79 goal involvements per game.
|
Kolo Munai vs Malen key stats 2022/23 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Kolo Muani |
Malen |
|
Goals and assists |
0.89 |
0.79 |
|
Goals per shot on target |
0.43 |
0.3 |
|
Assists |
0.38 |
0.32 |
|
Goal-creating actions |
0.75 |
0.74 |
|
Carries into penalty area |
2.26 |
2 |
|
Stats from FBref |
||
As the statistics show, signing Kolo Muani on loan might be a better option for Villa than bringing Malen to the club. It is a temporary fix, and allows the club to reassess in the summer rather than spending money on the Dutchman.
Matthaus said it himself, Kolo Muani is going to become one of the deadliest strikers in the world. He already showcased what he can do during his stint in Frankfurt; perhaps Villa is the place where he can get back to his very best again.
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