Aston Villa are now showing keen interest in signing an “unbelievable” star, and manager Unai Emery is a big fan.
Villa eyeing move for Morgan Rogers replacement
Morgan Rogers’ form will definitely be giving Thomas Tuchel something to think about ahead of the World Cup in the summer, with the Englishman contributing eight goals and five assists in 25 Premier League matches for Villa.
Most recently, Rogers bagged the Villans’ only goal of the game in the 1-1 draw against AFC Bournemouth, and he was singled out for praise by Emery after the match, with the Spaniard saying: “It’s fantastic. He’s doing a fantastic season.
“He was always pushing, helping. Everyone was feeling good playing with him.”
However, it remains to be seen whether the 54-year-old is able to keep hold of his star player, amid widespread interest from within the Premier League, with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United recently being named as potential suitors.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are eager to keep hold of Rogers, and they feel as though they are in a strong position, with the England international tied down until the summer of 2031.
However, Villa have also set their sights on a potential replacement, with the aforementioned report stating they are now showing a keen interest in signing Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White.
Any deal is likely to be a costly operation, with the Tricky Trees looking to hold out for £65m – £70m, but they appear to be more open to a sale than they were last summer, at which point the midfielder was denied a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
In fact, if Forest are relegated this season, Gibbs-White moving on would be near-certain, and Sean Dyche’s side are certainly in danger, currently just three points clear of the bottom three.
Emery’s a big fan of “unbelievable” Gibbs-White
The Englishman has plenty of admirers, and Emery is among them, saying during the 2023-24 campaign: “Gibbs-White is a very good player. He is very important to them because he has good tempo, good passes and he is very intelligent. It’s not easy to stop him.”
Having also been lauded as “unbelievable technically” by Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, the 26-year-old clearly has the ability to succeed at Villa Park, and he has a solid attacking record in the Premier League over the past four seasons.
|
Morgan Gibbs-White’s attacking record |
Premier League appearances |
Goal involvements |
|
2022-23 |
35 |
13 |
|
2023-24 |
37 |
15 |
|
2024-25 |
34 |
17 |
|
2025-26 |
25 |
8 |
Of course, Villa should do everything they can to keep hold of Rogers, who has created 31 chances in the Premier League this season, the highest number in Emery’s squad.
However, Gibbs-White has proven himself over a number of years in the Premier League, and could be a solid replacement for the 23-year-old.
Forget Rogers: £150k-p/w Aston Villa star “can become truly world class”
This impressive Aston Villa still has the potential to be a world-class player for the club.