New Rogers: Aston Villa open first talks to sign "exceptional" £30m PL star
da bet esporte： Aston Villa kicked off the brand new Premier League season with a 0-0 stalemate against Newcastle United.
da winzada777： While that, of course, isn’t exactly the most exhilarating introduction back to top-flight life, Unai Emery’s Villans would come away from the opening day contest the happier of the two sides with the drab final result, having been reduced to ten men for the final 24 minutes after Ezri Konsa was dismissed.
Still, even despite that result, the Villans must kick on in the weeks to come in order to turn results like this one into a win.
Aston Villa make enquiry to sign £25m star
Villa haven’t been the flashiest side in the chaotic window to date, with just three incomings through the door.
New goalkeeper recruit Marco Bizot was handed his Villans debut against the Magpies and rose to the occasion with a clean sheet. At the same time, the West Midlands outfit’s most luxurious purchase of the summer – who joined for a hefty £30m – so far in Evan Guessand remained rooted to the bench throughout.
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The cash could soon be splashed in a similarly lavish manner if reports are to be believed, with Caught Offside revealing that Emery and Co. have now enquired over signing Manchester City defender Rico Lewis.
It will be difficult for Villa to get a move over the line, however, with Nottingham Forest allegedly also in talks with the exciting 20-year-old, with the Tricky Trees bidding in the region of £30m recently for the City number 82.
Moreover, further interest in Lewis’ services comes from Premier League rivals Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur, with those named also lodging their own enquiries.
How Lewis can be Emery's next Rogers
Villa will keep their fingers crossed that they can race to the front of this ever-extending queue in the hope that they will be able to land a Morgan Rogers repeat if the two-time Premier League winner swaps the Etihad for Villa Park.
Before Rogers established himself as a top-flight “machine” donning claret and blue – as he was dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell – the England international did find himself in the same boat as Lewis in Manchester.
Unfortunately for the £100m-rated star, he would never go on to make the first-team breakthrough on the books of the Citizens, with countless loan spells greeting him, before he was officially let go of by Pep Guardiola’s men in 2023.
This must surely be a regret on the end of the early table-toppers, though, with Rogers going on to flex his muscles in some style in the West Midlands, as 17 goals and 17 assists have come his way from 79 appearances and counting.
Lewis would love for this same first-team spotlight to come down on him if he were to embark on a new challenge at Villa Park, having only started 40 of his 59 Premier League games to date at his boyhood employers, despite largely impressing when thrust into the senior mix.
He certainly stood out against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out as City brushed off any off-season cobwebs to trounce the Old Gold 4-0 at Molineux, with Lewis getting in on the act himself when teeing up Erling Haaland for the crucial opening strike.
Lewis’ numbers vs Wolves
Stat
Lewis
Minutes played
66 mins
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches
66
Accurate passes
45/49 (92%)
Sprints
4
Distance covered
7.9km
Total duels won
3/3
Stats by Sofascore
The lively 20-year-old was lauded as “magical” by City journalist Amos Murphy during the game, with his blistering ability to bomb forward and create openings, further putting him on the same pedestal as Rogers.
With experience of the Champions League also under his belt, Emery would be very confident in gifting Lewis plenty of first-team opportunities on his arrival, much like the Spaniard showed no hesitancy in immediately handing Rogers the senior reins last year.
This will be a testing deal to seal, but if Villa want to make more waves this summer, they should go all out to land Lewis, who has also been labelled as “exceptional” by Guardiola for his standout, bit-part offerings at his hometown side.