Aston Villa have emerged as Premier League title contenders under Unai Emery and have a big January transfer window coming up
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Aston Villa have forced themselves into a strong position to make a push for the Premier League title ahead of the second half of the season. They are third behind Arsenal and Manchester City and are well in the mix. Unai Emery could look to bolster his ranks this winter.
He has the chance to sign some new players in the upcoming January transfer window. The Midlands outfit may aim to add more competition and depth to their squad, especially at the top end of the pitch. They beat Manchester United 2-1 last time out and play Chelsea away next on Saturday.
Aston Villa target Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson
Aston Villa are battling it out with Crystal Palace to sign Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson, according to TEAMtalk. They are being linked with a swoop for the attacker this winter. If he joined, he would inject more firepower into Emery’s starting XI and something different to what they already have.
Johnson, 24, could leave Spurs next month for more opportunities. He has fallen out of favour at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over recent times under Thomas Frank. The Wales international, who has 42 caps to his name, has been with the London club since joining them in 2023 from Nottingham Forest and scored the winner in their Europa League final win over Manchester United in May.
He has made 106 appearances in all competitions for his current club and has scored 27 goals, 18 of which came in the last campaign. The Nottingham-born player was a regular under former head coach Ange Postecoglou but has struggled for minutes since Frank’s arrival. At this stage of his Spurs career, an exit would be far from a surprise.
Aston Villa could see him as someone to add more pace to their side. He is quick and can be very effective if used in the right way on the counter attack. In addition, he is now experienced at the top level and has proved he can score goals.
Aston Villa should propose swap deal to Tottenham Hotspur
In an attempt to pip Crystal Palace to Johnson’s signature, Aston Villa should propose a swap deal plus cash for his services. With that in mind, Leon Bailey is someone who may be of interest to Spurs. He is currently out on loan at Roma but he hasn’t been able to make an impact in Serie A.
His future in Italy is up in the air right now and his parent club must consider recalling him back to potentially sell him. He is someone who likes to cut in on his left foot from the right and he wouldn’t be a bad option for Frank to call upon if he came in through the entrance door as a replacement for Johnson. The Jamaican forward may also feel he has a point to prove after struggling to find his feet in Rome.
Bailey, 28, had spells in Belgium and Germany at Genk and Bayer Leverkusen respectively before Aston Villa came calling. He found the net on 22 occasions in 144 outings before his exit to Roma. Things haven’t gone to plan for him at Stadio Olimpico and a change of scene to Spurs would do him good.