Aston Villa: Dean Smith could land perfect Jack Grealish partner in Emile Smith Rowe | OneFootball

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith could land Jack Grealish’s dream partner in Arsenal starlet Emile Smith Rowe this summer.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, the England U21 international has emerged as a transfer target for Smith’s side, with the play-maker yet to sign a new deal at the Emirates.

And in the last couple of days, The Athletic have revealed that Villa actually submitted a £25m bid in an attempt to entice the Gunners into selling, but that offer has now been rejected.

Imagine him and Grealish

Speaking on the Pitch to Post Preview Podcast, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp said: “Emile Smith Rowe has come in and been a revelation. They needed someone to light the flame, give them that spark.

“He’s an academy boy and you can see he’s doing a great job, the fans love him. I hope with Odegaard coming into the club, that doesn’t stop him being instrumental in what they’re doing. But I’ve been so impressed with him, I love his work ethic, I love the way he runs with the ball, he’s been a breath of fresh air for this team, exactly when they needed it.”

And, his former manager on loan at Huddersfield in the Championship a couple of seasons ago, Danny Cowley, even made some impressive comparisons with Grealish himself.

He said: “He has got that little bit of Jack Grealish about him. He’s got the ability to square defenders up and go past them like they’re not there. He’s so hard not to get excited about, he has potential to be world-class.”

The £43m-rated star could team up brilliantly with the Villa talisman, with his knack of beating players when one vs one and also with him having the awareness to pick out a final pass – last season, the England youth international picked up seven assists in both the Premier League and Europa League.

Villa look like they mean business this summer and despite having a first bid rejected for Smith Rowe, they should not end their pursuit. If the club want to take the next step and get into Europe, they’ll need more quality players and Smith Rowe is exactly that; a quality player.

Villa could strike absolute gold if they are able to complete a deal to sign the Arsenal man this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must avoid selling this star this summer…