Aston Villa Are Facing Stiff Competition For This Serie A Playmaker: Should Emery Move In For Him? | OneFootball

In a recent report, Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness) stated that Aston Villa are facing stiff competition for Hellas Verona playmaker Cyril Ngonge. It has been mentioned that the Villans would have to rival Fiorentina in the race to land the Belgian winger this year.

Ngonge’s Impressive Form In Italian Football This Season

Ngonge is enjoying a decent season at the Italian club after he put in a few eye-catching displays on the right side of their attack. The 23-year-old has found the back of the net on five occasions and secured two assists in 19 matches for Hellas Verona during this campaign across all competitions.

The Belgian sensation has been a consistent performer in the final third based on his average of 2.2 shots, 1.2 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A. However, he has been a bit inaccurate with his ball distribution as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 66.3% in the Italian top tier (stats via whoscored).

Ngonge is under contract at the Italian club until the summer of 2026 which would make it difficult for the Villans to sign him on a cut-price deal before the end of this month.

VERONA, ITALY – DECEMBER 23: Cyril Ngonge of Hellas Verona FC in action during the Serie A TIM match between Hellas Verona FC and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on December 23, 2023 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

Should Aston Villa Move In For Ngonge?

Ngonge is a decent dribbler with the ball at his feet and has got the vision to engineer a few inviting chances for his teammates on the offensive end of the field. He can shoot the ball with venom from long range and can chip by scoring and creating his fair share of goals from the wide areas.

The Belgian sensation mainly functions as a right-winger but can also function as a centre-forward if asked to do so. However, he has to find a way to improve his passing accuracy in the opposition half.

At 23, Ngonge will only get better with each season. We can expect him to inject more quality into Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery’s first XI. He is good enough to fight for a regular starting spot at Villa Park.

Hence, the Villans should focus on moving in for Ngonge before the end of this January transfer window as he could help them compete across all fronts in the coming seasons.