Emile Smith Rowe: Who can Aston Villa target if they miss out on Arsenal midfielder?

Josip Brekalo (23) – Wolfsburg

Josip Brekalo is an option here where the standing that he holds in new manager van Bommel is up in the air.

Calciomercato held a report mentioning the winger’s intent to leave the German side and a fee of £15-20M could be the range in which a club could pry him away.

With Leeds and Atalanta’s interest already public and an additional source in MundoDeportivo mentioning Atletico Madrid, Brekalo might not be an option for long for Aston Villa.

A big reason for this is the sheer versatility he can offer. Each club will undoubtedly hold alternative roles for the 23-year-old as his ability to play either flank is valuable but under former coach Oliver Glasner, he gained reps as more of an attacking midfielder as well as a second striker behind Wout Weghorst.

Brekalo recorded 7 goals and 3 assists this past season and this was a testament to his aggressive, forward-thinking playstyle that expertly complemented a target man like Weghorst. This might hold some similarity with what could be waiting for him at Villa Park in Watkins.

The Croatian international also held a respectable 4.95 xGBuildup (Total xG of every possession the player is involved in) which when taking into account him having 1800 minutes of game time, somewhat 300 minutes under Grealish who had a long spell out with injury.

This xG measurement holds promise as it eliminates shots and assists from the possession chains which can ultimately allow us to focus on solely the buildup portion of the player.

While this isn’t and shouldn’t be a composite judgement of the player, coupled with alternative metrics would allow for a step up on those current models and sharpen the outlook that we have on players.