Aston Villa Have Set Their Sights On This Barcelona Prospect: Should Emery Move In For Him? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Sport claimed that Aston Villa have set their sights on Barcelona prospect Abde Ezzalzouli. It is understood that the Villans are among the clubs hoping to secure the services of the Moroccan sensation this summer.

Ezzalzouli’s Impressive Loan Spell At Osasuna Last Season

Ezzalzouli had a decent loan spell at Osasuna last season when he put in a series of impressive performances for them in the final third. The Morocco international found the back of the net on six occasions and picked up a couple of assists in 34 matches for the Spanish outfit in the previous campaign across various competitions.

The 21-year-old proved his worth as a consistent performer in the opponent’s half and did well to average 1.4 shots and 2.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in La Liga. However, he lacked quality when distributing possession from inside his half after completing only 74.2% of his attempted passes in the Spanish first division (stats via whoscored).

Ezzalzouli is under contract at the Nou Camp until the summer of 2026. Hence, the Villans will have to make a sizable offer if they want to sign the Moroccan talent this month.

PAMPLONA, SPAIN – APRIL 08: Pere Milla of Elche CF Abde battles for possession with Ezzalzouli of CA Osasuna during the LaLiga Santander match between CA Osasuna and Elche CF at El Sadar Stadium on April 08, 2023 in Pamplona, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Move In For Ezzalzouli?

Ezzalzouli excels at creating a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal. He is a good dribbler with the ball and can make some dangerous runs with the ball on the attacking end of the pitch. Ezzalzouli mainly operates as a left-sided winger but can also function as a right-winger if needed.

The Moroccan youngster can chip in by scoring and creating his fair share of goals up top. However, he needs to work on improving his link-up play in the opposition half.

Ezzalzouli is still quite inexperienced at the highest level but is already good enough to challenge for a regular starting spot at Aston Villa if Unai Emery can devise a way to sign him before the end of this month.

At 21, Ezzalzouli has the potential to become a future star in European football. Hence, the Villans would be wise to move in for him in this ongoing transfer window.