Aston Villa were hit with a significant blow last month when Morgan Rogers completed his club-record £117m move to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The England international racked up 14 goals and 11 assists in the 2025/26 campaign and 14 goals and 13 assists in the 2024/25 season for the Villans, offering consistent quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
His departure from Villa Park has left a big hole in Unai Emery‘s attack and the club have already moved to sign Johan Manzambi and Alejandro Garnacho in an attempt to fill it.
Garnacho, in particular, may be tasked with providing consistent quality in the final third from the left wing position that Rogers caused so much damage from last term.
Why Aston Villa must sign a new left winger
Villa still need to add another option on the left flank because they cannot reasonably expect the Chelsea loanee to replicate what Rogers delivered week-in-week-out over the past two seasons.
The Argentine forward is a young and inconsistent performer who has only shown flashes of quality in his career, rather than consistent performances, in the Premier League.
He has had moments of pure magic, including his Goal of the Season winning overhead kick against Everton for Manchester United, but the winger has never hit double figures for goals or assists in his top-flight career to date.
|
Garnacho (Premier League) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
36 |
24 |
|
xG |
7.33 |
3.45 |
|
Goals |
6 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
6 |
|
xA |
2.77 |
3.68 |
|
Assists |
2 |
4 |
His return of seven goals from 10.78 xG and six assists in the last two Premier League seasons for United and Chelsea show that Villa have brought in a player who is low on confidence and lacking in consistency.
There is plenty of work for Emery and his coaches to do, therefore, and that is why another wide option should be brought in to compete with him for his place in the side.
Aston Villa considering deal for a bigger talent than Garnacho
The club are already weighing up a move for a player who is a bigger talent than Garnacho on the left flank, and they should go through with it in the coming weeks.
The Sun reports that Aston Villa are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Manchester City winger Jack Grealish before the end of the summer transfer window.
Villa are said to have held internal talks about a move to bring the England international back to the club, as they believe that he would add the depth that they need out wide.
It adds that Everton and Atletico Madrid are also eyeing moves for the experienced forward, who had a £50m buy option in his loan with the Toffees at the end of last season, and it remains to be seen exactly how much City will demand for his services.
Villa must now decide to act upon their interest in the attacker because he would return to the club as a better option and bigger talent than Garnacho on the left flank.
Grealish, who was sold to City for £100m in the summer of 2021, spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Everton and outperformed the Argentine winger in the Premier League.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Garnacho |
Grealish |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
24 |
20 |
|
xG |
3.45 |
2.15 |
|
Goals |
1 |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
6 |
5 |
|
Assists |
4 |
6 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.6 |
1.2 |
|
Duels won per game |
2.3 |
5.3 |
|
Fouls won |
1.0 |
2.9 |
The 30-year-old magician scored more goals and provided more assists than Garnacho in the top-flight, despite only playing 20 matches due to an injury that kept him out of the second half of the season.
Not only is the English star a bigger talent than the Villa loanee in the present, however, as his historical form also shows that he is a better left-sided attacker.
Grealish racked up 32 goals and 43 assists in 213 appearances for the Villans in all competitions before his mega-money move to The Etihad five years ago.
That included a return of eight goals and six assists in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign and six goals and 12 assists in the 2020/21 top-flight season.
The £50m-rated forward, therefore, has shown more quality and consistency than Garnacho in the final third both in the present day and in the past, which shows that he is a far bigger talent on the left wing.
That is why Emery should be pushing for the club to agree a deal to bring him back to Villa Park in the coming weeks, because Grealish could be the Rogers replacement that the Spaniard needs, with Garnacho providing support as a back-up option.