Aston Villa analysis: Is Marco Asensio the signing of the January transfer window after Champions League heroics?
Aston Villa have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after Marco Asensio sealed a 3-1 win over Belgian side Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Now, if you had told Aston Villa supporters that a few years ago, you probably would have been laughed out of Birmingham.
Under Unai Emery, however, Champions League football and big-name signings are the new reality.
The Spaniard also added Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen, Axel Disasi and Andrés García to his squad in January, but it is Asensio who has been the real shining light.
Loving life in Birmingham
After swapping Paris for the West Midlands on deadline day, Asensio’s quality has shone through.
The 29-year-old was restricted to just 16 appearances in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the first half of the season, tallying six goal contributions.
However, Emery has been able to get the best out of his fellow countryman, as Asensio has scored five goals in only seven appearances.
The Spain international has been utilised across the front line but has looked especially clinical when played just behind Ollie Watkins.
It is not just goals that Asensio has added to Aston Villa, he has also injected some much-needed creativity, with the Spaniard creating 1.75 chances per 90 minutes in the Premier League.
Champions League experience
Whilst the former Real Madrid man is proving to be invaluable on the pitch, off it, he is just as important.
Asensio spent eight years in the Spanish capital, where he won heaps of trophies.
Three Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, three LaLiga titles, three Super Cups and a Copa del Rey make up the forward’s immense trophy cabinet from his time at Los Blancos.
Having the serial winner around Bodymoor Heath will be hugely beneficial to Aston Villa’s current stars and those of the future.
With Emery’s men marching towards the Champions League quarter-finals, Asensio’s experience in the business end of the competition will be vital to Villa.
January transfer comparisons
Looking at other high-profile January transfers, none have hit the ground running quite like Asensio.
Fellow Villa new boy, Rashford, is still finding his feet at Villa Park after a tough season at Manchester United, however, three assists in seven appearances suggest that the Englishman will be a success in the West Midlands.
Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush has been inconsistent since he arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Egyptian’s only goal contributions coming in the form of a hat-trick against Newcastle United.
Looking at Asensio’s output and overall performances, the Spaniard is easily the best signing of the January 2025 transfer window.
Whilst it is understood that Aston Villa signed Asensio on a straight loan, with no option or obligation to buy, there is no doubt that if the Spaniard continues to perform well, Emery will want to make the move permanent in the summer.
Follow all the latest news, betting tips, rumours and deals with Transfer News Blitz, and follow us on BlueSky as we continue to tell it like it is when it comes to transfer talk.
