Team Focus: Villa Sufficiently Replacing Key Midfield Departures
Fabian Delph’s U-turn on his initial decision to remain at Aston Villa left supporters rather disappointed, to say the least. The Englishman effectively promised to remain at the club ahead of the new season, before securing a switch to title-chasing Manchester City. Sentimentally and from a footballing perspective, Delph’s move to City hurt Villa's supporters. A WhoScored rating of 7.08 was among the best of all players at the club last season and level with fellow departee Christian Benteke.
In the wake of the departure of the duo, though, Aston Villa have looked to strengthen accordingly, with Emmanuel Adebayor expected to join Micah Richards, Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Amavi, Jordan Ayew and Jose Angel Crespo at Villa Park sooner rather than later. Another player penning a contract with the Midlands side is young Jordan Veretout.
“He has made his choice, and I am going to go in his direction,” Nantes president Waldemar Kita told French publication L’Equipe. Veretout had attracted interest from Tottenham and Liverpool, but it’s Villa who have won the race to sign the player from Nantes, despite late interest from Leicester. His arrival, perhaps ahead of some of the other new acquisitions, marks quite the coup for a Villa side that flirted with relegation last season.
Not only did the 22-year-old score more goals (7) and register more assists (6) than any other Nantes player last season, contributing to his WhoScored rating of 7.07, but only two players played more key passes than Veretout (72) in Ligue 1 last term. Furthermore, only Dimitri Payet (41) played more accurate corners into the box than Veretout (32), while his 52 accurate crosses ranked third in France's top tier. There is still some way to go before he can be considered the finished article, but Villa needed to move this summer in order to avoid the risk of missing out on his signature to a rival. Given his dead ball ability, he will offer another dimension to the Villa attack, providing an additional threat from set piece situations.
Following Newcastle’s relative success of tapping into the French market in the past, it comes as little shock that Villa are adopting a similar approach in order to consolidate their place in England’s top tier. The arrival of Veretout is the fourth player to sign from Ligue 1, following Gueye, Amavi and Ayew to Villa Park. His capture may signal a slight change to the Villa setup, with Veretout and Gueye perhaps two of the more important signings to the club.
Amavi corrects the long-standing left-back problem, while Ayew swells the attacking ranks, but it’s Gueye and Veretout who are the pivotal pieces in the jigsaw. The loss of Delph naturally rocked the Villa fanbase given his statement on the club’s official website 6 days before his move to City, but the fans were comforted in the signing of Gueye before the England international eventually departed for the Etihad Stadium.
The 25-year-old, while admitting his move to Villa is a stepping-stone as he looks to secure a switch to a “bigger” team, is an impressive capture by the Villans. Only Sofiane Boufal (7.42) gained a better WhoScored rating of all Lille players last season than Gueye (7.41). Of the summer arrivals, the Senegalese could be considered the best match for the Premier League if his defensive displays in France are anything to go by. A total of 414 interceptions and tackles combined over the last two seasons was bettered only by Maxime Gonalons (453) in Ligue 1. The energy and athleticism Delph injected into Villa is expected to be replicated by Gueye, in what should be a three-man midfield under Sherwood.
Alongside Gueye, Sherwood has either Carlos Sanchez or Ashley Westwood to call on and it’s likely the pairing will battle for one spot, with Veretout expected to start. The Frenchman provides creativity from central midfield, while two of Gueye, Sanchez and Westwood in more disciplined roles would mean the youngster won’t have to concern himself too much with his defensive responsibilities. 1.9 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 last season suggests he does not shirk from these duties, but the former Nantes starter is a better performer when granted the freedom to support the attack.
French experts believe Veretout to be better-suited when thrust further forward and his versatility in the middle of the park means Sherwood has the option of either fielding a system with a three-man midfield or a 4-2-3-1 formation, should needs must, pushing Veretout upfield. The latter formation would allow Jack Grealish and Carles Gil to operate in wider positions, thus stretching the opposition in the final third.
Following Tom Cleverley’s decision to move to Everton following a loan spell at Villa Park, the club required a creative performer from deep and Veretout will undoubtedly provide that. Should he replicate his Ligue 1 form early on, chances are he can better Cleverley’s exploits for the club if he can quickly hit the ground running in England.
Of course, Villa will still be concerned with staying up first and foremost. The club perhaps requires another defender, either a right-back or centre-back, depending on where Micah Richards is deployed, even after the arrival of Crespo. The imminent signing of Adebayor, coupled with reports that Rudy Gestede is close to a switch to Villa Park, make up for the loss of Benteke to a certain extent, but it’s in midfield where the club required the most investment.
In Gueye and Veretout, though, Sherwood has secured sufficient replacements for the outgoing midfield duo of Delph and Cleverley. For the first time in a long time, Villa fans have something to be excited about in pre-season, with the arrivals a hint as to the direction the club is taking. A strong start to the campaign will give the Villans a foundation to build on in what will be a hugely important season for the Midlands outfit.
What do you make of Aston Villa's new-look midfield? Will they help the team stave off relegation? Let us know in the comments below
