Copyright GIVEMESPORT
After what looked to be a strange summer transfer window and a slow start to the Premier League season, Aston Villa now look to be back on track under Unai Emery as they chase a Champions League finish once again. The Villans were forced to sell midfielder Jacob Ramsey to help raise funds, but also managed to keep hold of experienced goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez despite strong interest from elsewhere. The club were quiet on their own arrivals until the final few days of the window, too. Having signed goalkeeper Marco Bizot and forward Evann Guessand, Villa then brought in Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho on deadline day to bolster the attack, as well as Victor Lindelof on a free transfer for the defence. But it has now emerged that they also had a deal agreed for another striker to join too. Aston Villa Agreed £30m Will Osula Deal William Osula, who has been compared to France superstar Kylian Mbappe, looked set to depart Newcastle United on deadline day and head for the Bundesliga, with Eintracht Frankfurt agreeing a £30m deal to take him as Hugo Ekitike's replacement. But the German side had a change of heart and tried to alter their deal to a loan, which saw the move fall apart and he stayed at St James' Park. However, it has now been revealed by the Daily Mail that Aston Villa also agreed a permanent move for the Frenchman, only for Newcastle to back out at the last minute. Emery's side have struggled for goals this season, with Ollie Watkins in particular not his usual self in front of goal. But £30m for Osula was not only a huge gamble, but it would also surely have been a complete waste of money when looking at how his season has gone. In the Premier League and Champions League so far, Osula has managed just 190 minutes of action and one start for the Magpies, despite the Magpies having their own issues in attack. While Sancho and Elliott have hardly hit the ground running, bringing in a project like Osula for a team that needs results immediately would have been a disaster, and it's fair to say that the 22-year-old surely wouldn't have made an ounce of difference to the way the team has performed thus far. Ultimately, for a team short on cash and having to be picky about their transfer business, Newcastle pulling the plug on Osula was a good thing for Aston Villa and they can surely now consider it to be a bullet dodged.
