Aston Villa Locked In A Three-Way Battle For This Talented Midfielder: Should Emery Move In For Him? | OneFootball

In a recent print edition, Record mentioned that Aston Villa are locked in a three-way battle for Porto midfielder Alan Varela. It has been claimed that the Villans would face competition from Manchester United and West Ham United in the race to sign the Argentine midfield ace in the summer.

Varela’s Impressive Run Of Form In Portuguese Football

Varela has enjoyed a solid campaign at the Portuguese club after putting in a series of impressive performances in the final third. The 22-year-old has registered two goals and two assists in 27 appearances for Porto this season across various competitions.

The Argentine talent has caught the eye by averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.0 clearances, 1.1 shots and 0.7 key passes per game in the Premier League. He has even been accurate when distributing possession from midfield after making 88.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).

His current contract at Porto will run out in the summer of 2028 which would make it tough for the Villans to win the race for his services at the end of this campaign.

FC Porto’s Argentine midfielder #22 Alan Varela (L) fights for the ball with Chaves’ Nigerian midfielder #28 Kelechi Nwakali during the Portuguese League football match between FC Porto and GD Chaves at the Dragao stadium in Porto on December 29, 2023. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)

Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Move In For Varela?

Varela is a solid tackler of the ball and can make some important interceptions for his side in the middle of the park. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when needed and can even shoot the ball with power from long range. The Argentine sensation can even make some decent plays for others around him in the opponent’s half. He is primarily a holding midfielder but can also function as a box-to-box midfielder if asked to do so.

We can expect Varela to bring more bite and steel to Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery’s midfield department. He has what it takes to fight for a regular starting spot at Villa Park next season. However, only time will tell whether he can make a smooth transition to life in English football.

At 22, Varela has got a promising future ahead of him and would be a terrific acquisition for the Villans in the long run. Therefore, Emery should focus on moving in for him when the transfer window commences later this year.