Aston Villa will be gearing up for a historic season in the 2024/25 Champions League. An impressive campaign in the Premier League in 2023/24 saw them qualify for the biggest club competition in Europe for the first time since its rebrand from the European Cup in 1992.
The Villans were superb last season, and finished fourth in the Premier League, two points ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur. Unai Emery’s side ended on 68 points, with the North London club slightly behind, on 66. It is their joint-second best Premier League finish, along with the 1995/96 campaign, and was only beaten by their second-place finish in 1992/93.
With their Champions League campaign set to begin in a couple of weeks, Emery and his technical staff have already began to bolster the squad in preparation. They have made eight signings as they prepare for a historic season amongst Europe’s elite, with £50m Amadou Onana the marquee addition from Everton.
However, they are not done there; the Villans have recently been linked with an experienced attacking reinforcement who could add European experience and quality to their attack ahead of such a significant season at Villa Park.
Aston Villa target Premier League winger
The player in question here is Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling. The 29-year-old is into his third season at Stamford Bridge, but in the past few days, he has been told he can leave the club by manager Enzo Maresca after being left out of their squad for the season opener against Manchester City.
According to an exclusive report from Ben Jacobs, in conversation with GiveMeSport, the Villans have ‘held internal discussions’ about potentially signing the experienced England international winger before the transfer deadline next Friday on the 30th of August.
A move away from Stamford Bridge is certainly what the wideman is seeking after Maresca snubbed him for the Blues’ first game of the season against his former employers last weekend, and their Europa Conference League qualifier against Swiss side Servette. Jacobs confirmed that ‘Sterling is exploring options’ ahead of a transfer this summer.
At this stage, a price for the exiled star is unclear, he is valued at £44.2m by Football Transfers. Given that the West London outfit paid around £50m for Sterling, they would surely want to recoup much of that fee, meaning they could well charge upwards of that price to sell him, too.
Why Sterling would be a good signing
Last season, the London-born ace had a quiet campaign by his standards. In 31 Premier League games, Sterling scored eight goals and grabbed four assists, hitting ten goals and registering eight assists in 43 games in all competitions, which included three assists in the FA Cup.
However, he would bring a wealth of experience to this Villa side. Sterling’s Premier League record is outstanding, and he has 123 goals and 62 assists in 379 appearances in the top flight. The Englishman has also won four Premier League titles for Manchester City.
Crucially, in a squad with fleeting experience in the Champions League, Sterling would add just that to Villa Park. He has played 82 times in Europe’s premium club competition, scoring an impressive 27 goals and grabbing 17 assists, as well as playing in a final, although he did come out on the losing side of that game.
In terms of his profile, the former Liverpool winger is a rapid, direct attacker who loves to drive at defenders and take them on in one-vs-one scenarios. The 29-year-old is also a brilliant finisher from inside the penalty box, as his goal record shows. In many ways, he is the complete winger, an "unplayable” asset at times, as pundit Paul Merson has described him.
In fact, the Chelsea attacker is similar in many ways to two of the Villans’ key players from last season, Leon Bailey, and Moussa Diaby, who is now at Saudi side Al-Ittihad. As per FBref, the trio are comparable when it comes to their carrying ability and creative passing.
The numbers that are certainly most similar are their dribbling stats. Per 90 minutes last season, the Englisman averaged 5.45 progressive carries, with the former Leverkusen duo running slightly lower than that. Jamaica international Bailey averaged 4.43, and Diaby slightly less with 3.88.
Stat (per 90)
Sterling
Bailey
Diaby
Progressive carries
5.45
4.43
3.88
Carries into the final third
2.32
2.04
1.78
Carries into the penalty box
2.95
1.78
1.61
Take-ons completed
2.05
2.48
1.20
However, it is not just their dribbling that is so similar. The trio are also similar in the progressive passing per 90. Sterling averages 3.55 each game, slightly less than Bailey at 3.57, although more than Diaby with 2.98.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
The Frenchman also ranks last for expected assists per game, with 0.19xA. That is only slightly less than Sterling, who averages 0.20xA, although Bailey is far out in the lead with 0.32xA. Given the dribbling and creative passing stats, it certainly seems like Sterling is an upgrade on Diaby.
How Sterling could benefit Watkins
Not only could the former Man City winger be a good candidate to replace Diaby, but he could also form a dangerous duo with star striker Ollie Watkins. The pair already have something of an existing relationship on the pitch, having played together twice for England.
In the second of those two games, which was a friendly against Ivory Coast, Sterling assisted Watkins for his second of four England goals to date. Although it is only one small instance, the foundations of a connection are at least already in place.
Given the fact Watkins was the Premier League’s top assist-maker last season, with 13 assists, seeing him take home the playmaker award, it is a partnership that could become fruitful in front of goal for the 29-year-old too. Sterling excels at crashing the box late and getting onto the end of crosses, and Watkins' tendency to run into winder areas and pull the ball back across goal could help him thrive in this way.
Whilst bringing Sterling to Villa Park could be an expensive deal to get over the line, his quality is undeniable. The one-time Liverpool is one of the most reputable players in the Premier League, and he would add experience to the Midlands club ahead of their Champions League adventure next season. It certainly could be a genius piece of business from Emery once again this summer.
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