Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor believes reported target James Ward-Prowse would be a ‘great addition to the squad’.
The Lowdown: Villa rumours
Unai Emery has reportedly been given a level of control none of his predecessors have been allowed, with Christian Purslow expecting an extremely busy transfer window at Villa Park.
Ward-Prowse appears to be on the clubās radar, with reports last month suggesting Villa have reignited their interest in the 28-year-old.
Emery failed to sign a central midfielder in January and could now move for Ward-Prowse even if Southampton remain in the Premier League.
The Latest: Agbonlahorās comments
Talking to Football Insider regarding the interest in Ward-Prowse, Agbonlahor believes the Southampton captain āwould be a great addition to the squadā but isnāt sure if he would go straight into Unai Emeryās starting XI.
āI wouldnāt say heād be an upgrade on anything Villa have..
āHe would be a great addition to the squad, but Iām not sure heād be guaranteed to start every week.
āWith Kamara, Ramsey, Luiz and McGinn already at the club, thatās already quite a good set of options in the midfield.
āI think it would be a good signing to bring him in, but I canāt see where he slots into that midfield straight away. Heād have to fight for his place.ā
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/aston-villa-latest-news-6/” title=”Aston Villa latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Better than Agbonlahor thinks?
Ward-Prowse would bring plenty of Premier League experience to the Midlands and would offer a quality option at set pieces, especially from free kicks, scoring 17 direct free kicks over the last ten years with a conversion rate of 15.2%, better than Lionel Messi.
Statistically, he has actually outperformed every Aston Villa player this season, as per WhoScored, averaging more key passes than any player in Emeryās side. He also averages just under 50 passes per game for the Saints, more than the majority of Villaās squad, so there could be an argument for him becoming a key man under Emery.
Ward-Prowse can turn out in central or attacking midfield roles, so he could prove to be better than just a squad option, as Agbonlahor first claimed.
