Aston Villa must secure the signing of this top target who could prove a decisive factor in their season
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Aston Villa are set to enter the January transfer window full of hope, as the Villans know that they are closer than ever to mounting a major push for the Premier League title with their current group of players.
Manager Unai Emery will be all too aware that just one or two additions could make all the difference and push the Villans over the line – something which the club have become adept at with the winter signings of Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen over the past two January transfer windows alone.
Just three points off league leaders Arsenal – whom they face again in their final game of 2025 – and with talk of a Villa Park title charge beginning to gather pace, the transfer window comes at the perfect time for the West Midlands side to strengthen ahead of the spring run-in.
One area of the pitch sticks out as in need of some potential extra help in January, and the Villans must fend off stiff competition to secure their top transfer target.
Aston Villa facing competition for Igor Thiago
Aston Villa remain firmly interested in Brentford striker Igor Thiago, who is becoming a man in high demand as we reach the final fortnight before the transfer window opens.
As previously reported, the Villans are not the only club after Thiago. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are credited as holding a ‘serious interest’ in the 24-year-old Brazilian, who has scored 12 times already this season.
Brentford are believed to be under no pressure to sell the player, with a price tag upwards of €70million (£61m) touted for the striker, who was signed for the Bees by current Spurs head coach Thomas Frank but has flourished under new boss Keith Andrews.
Villa are in need of another striking option to complement and offer competition to Ollie Watkins, and will know that Thiago could be a game-changing signing.
Thiago could be decisive to solidify Villa’s position in the title race
Aston Villa’s resurgence over the last two-and-a-half months has lit up the Premier League, but one issue has remained despite a stunning 10 victories in 11 for Emery’s men – a goalscorer.
Morgan Rogers has shone and is their current top scorer in the league with five, while Malen has grabbed seven in all competitions including three in the Europa League. Talisman of recent years Ollie Watkins has scored just three times in 23 matches this term.
Particularly as the Villans’ European campaign ramps up a notch later in the season, Emery will need another option up front to rotate with or even replace Watkins, who ultimately has little competition for his place in the side at present.
Thiago trails just Erling Haaland in the top-flight scoring charts and could be the man to sustain Villa’s title push into the spring. The Brentford frontman has proven he knows where the back of the net is and has a 31% conversion rate, the highest in the league of any player to have scored four goals or more, according to the latest stats relayed by BBC Sport.
The former Club Brugge striker has become a lethal force in front of goal this term and his arrival at Villa Park could solidify the claims of Emery’s men to a title challenge, particularly with the likes of Rogers, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans providing him with ammunition from midfield.
Spurs and Newcastle will be tough competition as both clubs can offer Champions League football at present, but Villa look to be in the strongest position to offer a place in Europe’s premier club competition next season – and could even offer Thiago a shot at the Premier League trophy if they can keep up their eye-catching run.