da bet nacional： Aston Villa confirmed their first signing of the January transfer window earlier this month when they unveiled Alysson as their new arrival from Gremio on a permanent deal.

da supremo： The 19-year-old forward only scored one goal in 41 first-team appearances for the Brazilian side, per Transfermarkt, but he does stand out in some metrics, including offensive duels.

Alysson is a young player with potential, as evidenced by how well he ranks among his age peers in the chart above, and may not be a player who is going to make an immediate impact in the Premier League for Unai Emery.

With a few weeks still left to run before the end of the window, the Villans may look to bring in more players who can hit the ground running in the top-flight, as they look to clinch a top-four finish.

Aston Villa set for talks with Premier League attacker

Signing a ready-made Premier League attacker does appear to be on the club’s agenda, as they are reportedly keen on snapping up a star from their rivals.

Transfer Focus

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According to Egyptian outlet WinWin, Aston Villa are interested in a deal to sign Omar Marmoush from Manchester City in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are both hoping to land the former Bundesliga star this month, but they are waiting until he is back from the African Cup of Nations to make any concrete moves.

It states that Villa and Spurs are both set to hold talks with Marmoush once he is back from the competition in an attempt to convince him to leave The Etihad on a loan deal until the end of the season.

WinWin adds that the attacker is also set for talks with City because he wants a bigger role with more game time, but that may be a tall order with the incoming signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.

Why Marmoush would be Villa's best player since Grealish

If Emery can convince Marmoush to make the move to Villa Park on loan until the end of the season, Villa would have their best player since Jack Grealish in the squad.

The Villans sold the England international to Manchester City for a staggering £100m after the attacking midfielder registered 32 goals and 43 assists in 213 appearances for the club, per Transfermarkt, in all competitions.

Grealish is the most expensive player sold or bought by Villa in the club’s history, at £100m, and he earned that move because of his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis.

There were not many players in the major leagues in Europe last season who produced more goals and assists than Marmoush, who was signed by City for a fee of £63m, did for Eintracht Frankfurt and City combined.

The Egypt international plundered 22 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga and the Premier League combined, per Transfermarkt, with 28 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.

Players with most G + A in 24/25 (Top 5 leagues)

Player

Goals + assists

Mo Salah

47

Harry Kane

36

Kylian Mbappe

34

Omar Marmoush

34

Mateo Retegui

33

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, only Harry Kane, by two, and Mohamed Salah produced more goal contributions in the five major European leagues, which speaks to the kind of quality that Marmoush can provide.

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The 26-year-old star, dubbed “inevitable” in transitions by scout Ben Mattinson, has only scored one goal in the 2025/26 campaign at club level, but he has only started two league matches, with Erling Haaland to compete with, and Villa could offer him a chance to play regular football and get back to his best in front of goal.

It is hard to look past him potentially being Aston Villa’s best player since Grealish when you compare his 45-goal contribution season against some of the club’s other top talents.

Morgan Rogers’ best season for goals and assists was 27 in all competitions last season, per Sofascore, and Ollie Watkins managed 27 goals and 13 assists, five shy of Marmoush’s tally last term, in the 2023/24 campaign.

No Aston Villa player has outperformed Watkins’ 40 goals and assists haul since Grealish’s £100m move to City, which suggests that Marmoush could be their most productive forward in a long time if he can replicate his 2024/25 output.

Therefore, the Manchester City attacker could be a phenomenal signing for the Villans as their best player since Grealish if they can convince him to join the club on loan in the coming weeks.

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