Aston Villa could sign an instant upgrade for just £17m

If Aston Villa thought it would be plain sailing after winning the Europa League and returning to the Champions League last season, they would have had another thing coming.

Luckily, Unai Emery surely arrived at the summer transfer market well prepared. He is a shrewd tactician and a meticulous manager, leaving no stone unturned in his search for glory at Villa Park which has now been delivered.

Morgan Rogers has been sold to Premier League rivals Chelsea in a £116m deal, and Alejandro Garnacho drafted in from the other direction to replace him.

However, Garnacho hasn’t hit the right beats for successive seasons, with Manchester United and then Chelsea, and his pre-season debut for the club showed there is work still to do.

How Garnacho’s Aston Villa debut went

Garnacho, 22, has signed for Aston Villa on loan until the end of the 2026/27 season, with a conditional buy clause inserted into the contract. He has long been regarded as an elite talent, and has featured 117 times in the Premier League.

Following a 3-1 victory over Indonesia All-Stars this week, Garnacho remarked that he is “happy to be enjoying football again“, seemingly taking a swipe at his former outfits.

He played 45 minutes of football down the left flank, taking a few neat touches and showing off a degree of interplay with Emi Buendia, but also missing a good chance to score and lacking the finer touches of fitness that will hopefully improve ahead of the new campaign.

Capable of channelling the spectacular, the Argentina international has “world-class” potential, according to former United manager Erik ten Hag, but he hasn’t realised it yet, and Villa need to provide a foil in attack.

How Aston Villa can upgrade on Garnacho

Garnacho has the potential to play an exciting role for Aston Villa this season, but he needs support down the left wing, stepping into some sizeable shoes left by Chelsea’s Rogers.

Well, according to Football Insider, Aston Villa could strike a deal for Ruben Vargas this month by paying a £17m fee, though they will need to be quick about things, with Brighton and Newcastle also showing an interest.

The report suggests that there is confidence that an agreement can be reached, as Villa are ‘hopeful’ of pulling off the signing, even if there is no frontrunner at this stage.

Sevilla forward Vargas has been on Emery’s radar for a while, and played a first-class campaign with Switzerland at the World Cup, instrumental as the European nation reached the quarter-finals, controversially losing to beaten finalists Argentina. The left-sided attacker scored twice and provided one assist, creating nine chances throughout the tournament and completing 60% of his dribbles.

Such qualities, expertly applied, speak of confidence and maturity that Garnacho simply doesn’t have right now. The Argentine, not called up by Lionel Scaloni this summer, scored only once in the Premier League last season, and replacing Rogers’ potency in front of goal is essential ahead of the new term.

The Sevilla star isn’t coming off his strongest season in La Liga, only scoring three times across 20 starts. However, he didn’t miss a single big chance across the campaign, and Emery has the experience and nous to hatch a plan that will see Vargas earn any number of shooting opportunities across the campaign.

Garnacho might be a touch more dynamic, but he lacks the cutting edge needed for many goals in the Premier League. Perhaps it’s deep within him, but unharnessed as yet. He has been wasteful and, at times, aimless over the past couple of years, and it could take months for Emery to get him dancing to the right tune.

Vargas is 28 years old, but his experience and wherewithal in attack could be exactly what Aston Villa need right now, having shown on the grandest stage of them all that he has what it takes to thrive and play a focal role for his outfit.

For just £17m, this could be an absolute steal as the Villa step back into the Champions League.