Is this the season Aston Villa end their long-running trophy drought?
It certainly has that feel about it, as at the moment, Unai Emery has his side third in the Premier League and Europa League, and into the next round of the FA Cup.
Moreover, the ownership aren’t standing still and instead look ready to help the manager by improving the squad in the January window, even if they have missed out on Conor Gallagher.
In fact, if reports are to be believed, Aston Villa could end up bringing in another midfield target who’d be a massive upgrade on the Englishman anyway.
Aston Villa targer Gallagher upgrade
With their incredible form this season, it makes sense that Aston Villa would want to give the squad a boost this month and bring in some more talent.
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Just last week, it looked like Gallagher was going to be one of those players the West Midlands outfit brought in, but over the last few days, Tottenham Hotspur have swooped in and nabbed the Englishman from out beneath them.
Losing out on a player of the Englishman’s calibre is never ideal, but fans shouldn’t fret, as it now looks like the club could sign someone who is a significant upgrade on him in his place.
At least that is according to a recent report from Sports Boom, which claims Aston Villa could land Dani Ceballos this month.
In fact, the report has revealed that Emery himself is pushing hard for the club to sign the midfield maestro he managed during his time at Arsenal.
Interestingly, the report states that, like the proposed move for the former Chelsea man, the Villans would want to bring the Spaniard in on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.
It’s unclear if such a proposal would be accepted by either Real Madrid or Ceballos, but if it is, Villa would have a very talented player on their hands and someone who’d be an upgrade on the Spurs-bound Gallagher.
Why Ceballos would be a huge Gallagher upgrade
Parts of the Aston Villa fanbase are going to be understandably annoyed that the club missed out on Gallagher this month, especially as he’s going to a club they’ve had a bit of a back-and-forth with in recent years.
However, if Emery can convince Ceballos to join his side, then they’ll have the last laugh, as there are a few reasons why he’d be a considerable upgrade.
The first is the simple fact that, when you compare the two players’ underlying numbers from last season to this one, the Spaniard doesn’t just come out on top; he does so by a considerable distance.
Ceballos vs Gallagher
Statistics per 90
Ceballos
Gallagher
Progressive Passes
10.1
3.38
Progressive Carries
2.26
1.53
Passing Accuracy
93.7%
86.9%
Key Passes
1.48
0.56
Passes into the Penalty Area
0.86
0.65
Expected Assists
0.13
0.06
Shot-Creating Actions
3.54
1.59
Tackles
3.25
2.47
Blocks
1.44
1.38
Clearances
1.23
1.21
Ball Recoveries
6.38
5.24
All Stats via FBref for 24/25 – 25/26
According to FBref, the “genius” midfielder, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, does better in practically every relevant metric, and by some distance in some.
These metrics include things like progressive passes and carries, passing accuracy, key passes and passes into the penalty area, shot-creating actions, tackles, blocks, clearances, ball recoveries and more, all per 90.
In other words, the Real Madrid ace is better in build-up and defensive phases of play; there really isn’t anything Gallagher appears to be better at than him.
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The second reason the 29-year-old would be the better signing is that he’s more experienced and, more importantly, has won major trophies in Spain and in England.
The Utrera-born maestro was a crucial part of Arsenal’s FA Cup-winning side in the 19/20 season, making an appearance in every game from the Fourth Round onwards and scoring the club’s late winner in the quarter-final against Sheffield United.
Ultimately, Ceballos is more experienced, has played under Emery before, knows English football, and, as the numbers show, is simply a better midfielder than Gallagher.
Therefore, Villa should do all they can to sign him this month, as he could prove a hugely valuable addition to the squad for the second half of the season.
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