Four Aston Villa players that Arsenal should try to sign

Douglas Luiz



By Oli Dickson Jefford

Arsenal play Aston Villa tonight as the Gunners look to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are the only team to win every match so far and are significant favourites against a stuttering Villa side.

Villa have won only one match so far, losing the other three, and have been on a poor run of form across this season and last.

However, Steven Gerrard’s squad features a significant number of quality players - some of whom have been linked to Arsenal in the past.

Here are four players that Arsenal could consider poaching from Villa Park in the near future.

Tyrone Mings


A key talking point this season has been Tyrone Mings’ rather unceremonious dumping as Villa captain.

The England international has also been benched a couple of times by Gerrard, with rumours circulating that all is not well between the two.

Mings is widely considered one of the best defenders outside of the ‘Big Six’ and previously there have been mutterings about a move to a club with European football. 

Arsenal’s main fragilities come in defence with injury prone or unreliable players presently in the squad, and this is an issue that Arteta and Edu should be addressing.

With Mings seemingly out of favour at Villa Park, he could easily be tempted by the Emirates - while Villa may be keen to offload him.

Emiliano Buendia


The fact that Buendia was linked to Arsenal last summer shows that his quality is recognised.

The Argentine starred for Norwich in their 2020/21 Championship campaign and also showed flashes of genius for Villa after his move last summer.

However he did not play as regularly as most predicted and the 25-year-old was often played out of position, meaning he was not able to perform at his best and potentially leaving him frustrated. 

Arsenal have an array of attacking midfielders but Buendia would certainly fit well with Arteta’s ethos and his style of play would be well suited to the players around him.

If the Gunners want to become serious league and European title contenders again they need to boost their squad, and Buendia would go some way to doing that.

Buendia


Douglas Luiz


Arsenal’s glaring issue last season was their defensive midfield, with the likes of Granit Xhaka at times proving a liability.

And though Xhaka has been superb in recent weeks, this is an area that the club should still be aiming to build depth in.

Luiz has been another consistent performer amid Villa’s general struggles in recent months, winning over fans with his skill and overall work ethic.

At only 24, the best is likely yet to come from the Brazilian and as a younger player he is another that would fit with the current, youthful make-up of the Arsenal squad.

Considering his importance to Villa it would likely not be a cheap signing, but it could be one worth making. 


John McGinn


Scotland international McGinn is another player that has performed consistently for Villa in recent months and has attracted a lot of well-deserved praise.

The midfielder is another Villain with a strong work-rate and has an adaptable style of play, meaning he can seemingly fit into a variety of different roles across the midfield.

McGinn may not be an obvious signing and may not carry the star power of some but Arsenal would know exactly what they are getting; someone who is always reliable, will always work hard, and can control the tempo of matches surprisingly effectively.

He may not be someone who would work his way into the starting XI but he would be a strong squad player and someone that Arteta and his teammates could depend on when called upon.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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