Aston Villa are now in talks with a new January transfer target who is appreciated by Unai Emery and NSWE, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.
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Villa jumped up to eighth position in the Premier League over the weekend as they beat struggling Leicester City 2-1 at Villa Park.
Goals from Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey were enough to cancel out Stephy Mavididi’s strike and win all three points for Emery’s side, who seem to have come through their poor patch which saw them win just once in eight games between mid-September and early December.
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Speaking to the press after the game, Emery said that his side are “feeling the confidence again.”
“Those three points are very important. We keep trying to get stronger. Our challenge now is to play two away matches in a row against Everton and Arsenal. I hope we can get enough points to be in the top 10 or top eight.”
Barkley, who was making just his third start in the top flight this term, said: “It felt great. It felt like we needed to get another win. Important three points.”
Aston Villa start talks to sign Mingueza
While Villa now seem to have rediscovered their best form, their continued inability to keep a clean sheet will no doubt be a worry for Emery. Villa have just two in 20 games this term, which is the joint second-lowest total in the top flight alongside Ipswich Town and Southampton. Only Leicester have kept fewer.
To help solve their defensive problems, Villa have now reportedly begun talks about a potential deal for Celta Vigo defender Oscar Mingueza, Romano revealed on X on Monday, making a move to Villa Park one to watch with the player appreciated by the board and Emery.
Mingueza, 25, came through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and went on to make 66 appearances for the Catalan club before moving to Celta in 2022.
The versatile star, who typically plays as a right-back, has since been a key player for the Sky Blues, making 82 appearances, scoring four goals and producing eight assists.
Speaking to Catalunya Radio, per Barca Blaugranes, earlier this year, Mingueza said that his former Barcelona manager Xavi was the reason he decided to leave the club.
“When Xavi arrived we didn’t fit in well. He didn’t like me or whatever. He told me I would play 10 game. I don’t think I had the best mentality in the world either. I was going to train to train, play to play. That’s why I left Barça, to try to regain the motivation to play, to enjoy and improve my football.”