Romeo Lavia Transfer News: Unai Emery’s side go into the international break in 10th place, and the results behind that position look worse than the table does. Villa haven’t won since beating Manchester City 2-1 on 24 October, a run that took in a 1-1 draw with Fulham, a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona and a 4-4 draw at Old Trafford, where they led 2-0 and 4-2 and still failed to win.
Midfield sits at the centre of that fragility. Amadou Onana ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing for Belgium against the United States at the World Cup in July, and he isn’t expected back before April.
He gave Villa a tall, aggressive ball-winner who shielded the back four and won second balls, and nobody else in the squad does exactly that job. Leon Goretzka scored at Old Trafford and John McGinn keeps producing, yet Emery still has no specialist holder to stop games stretching the way that one did.
Ian Maatsen’s ankle injury has also thinned the defence, which leaves Emery short in the two areas that cost his team most last Sunday. It was the first time since December 2007 that Villa scored four in a league game and failed to win.
Chelsea midfielder on Villa’s radar
Villa’s search has reached Stamford Bridge. According to Ciaran McCarthy at TEAMtalk, citing Fussball News, the club are seriously considering a €35m (£29m) bid for Roméo Lavia, Onana’s 22-year-old Belgium team-mate. Chelsea paid Southampton a reported £58m in 2023, so the fee would halve that.
The report itself offers little hope. Chelsea won’t sell, Lavia doesn’t want to force an exit, and Xabi Alonso now picks him regularly, so a winter move looks extremely unlikely.
Against Manchester United he played his first full league 90 for Chelsea, completing 72 passes at 89% with 16 line-breaking passes and 23 defensive contributions. Fitness remains the doubt after only 377 Premier League minutes last season, and he isn’t a commanding aerial presence.
Romeo Lavia Transfer News: Should Aston Villa really chase Lavia?
No, mainly because of the profile. Lavia is a progressive passer who suits Emery’s build-up, but Villa have lost a physical screen, and he isn’t one. Paying £29m for an injury-prone player who leaves Villa light in the air solves the wrong problem.
Chelsea’s refusal makes sense. They sold Enzo Fernández to Manchester City for £125m on deadline day, Caicedo has only just returned, and Jordan Henderson is 36. Villa should target a bigger holder, perhaps on loan.
