Unai Emery has spent considerable amounts this summer bolstering his Aston Villa squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
With a first foray into Europe’s premier club competition in over 40 years, there was no doubt that more high quality signings were needed. So far, the Spaniard has delivered.
Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen are perhaps the most impressive additions, joining from Everton and Chelsea respectively, as the chance to play in the Champions League has proven to be a wonderful incentive.
There are still several positions in which new bodies are required. Ollie Watkins can't carry the pressure as the main striker throughout another season, hence the need for another centre-forward or two.
Could it be another defender who is the next arrival at Villa Park? Emery is looking at signing another right-back prior to the window slamming shut at the end of the month.
Aston Villa eyeing swoop for Feyenoord defender
An update from Fabrizio Romano surrounding a potential new signing for Villa has emerged recently.
He said via X: “EXCL: Aston Villa have added Lutsharel Geertruida to their shortlist as he remains also on RB Leipzig radar. RB Leipzig wanted Geertruida already last summer, Villa are monitoring him as potential new option.”
According to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, Geertruida is keen to leave the Eredivisie side ahead of the new season.
Manchester United have also emerged as another option to sign the defender as it looks as though a move to the Premier League is the priority for the player in a bid to take the next step in his career.
Player
Club signed from
Ross Barkley
Luton Town
Lewis Dobbin
Everton
Samuel Illing-Junior
Juventus
Enzo Barrenechea
Juventus
Cameron Archer
Sheffield United
Jadon Philogene
Hull City
Amadou Onana
Everton
Ian Maatsen
Chelsea
Feyenoord could cash in on one of their prized assets for a fee of around €32m (£27m), which is certainly more than affordable for the Midlands side this summer.
Emery had to utilise centre-back Ezri Konsa on the right side of the defence in spells last season due to Matty Cash suffering a few injuries.
This is the time for an improvement to be made to this position. Can Geertruida be an upgrade on the English-born Polish international?
Matty Cash’s statistics last season
The right-back made a total of 46 appearances across all competitions for Villa during 2023/24, yet he started just 23 Premier League games, as Konsa was preferred during certain matches.
Five goals and three assists was a decent return, but it could have been much better from this area of the field if Emery had someone more impressive going forward.
Defensively, he wasn’t at his best. In the Premier League, Cash lost possession 10.2 times per game, while he won only 47% of his total duels in the top flight. He also helped the club keep just two clean sheets from his 29 league games along with being dribbled past once per game on average.
This is definitely an area of the pitch which needs an upgrade, and fast, especially as they could be set to face some of the best teams on the continent in the Champions League.
Geertruida, on the other hand, was superb at the back for Feyenoord. Not only did he lose possession just 9.1 times per game, but the Dutchman won an impressive 61% of his total duels in the Eredivisie, was dribbled past on just 0.3 occasions per game and helped his club keep 15 clean sheets during his 34 league matches.
These defensive statistics prove that he would be an ideal upgrade on Cash ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Could his attacking abilities also allow him to shine with a current Villa star who enjoyed a sublime 2023/24 season – Leon Bailey.
Why Lutsharel Geertruida could be excellent for Leon Bailey
Bailey took his performances to new levels under Emery last term. Across his first two seasons at Villa, the winger had registered just 12 goal contributions – six goals and six assists, hardly the form of a player who cost the club £25m back in the summer of 2021.
Under the Spaniard, however, he was transformed into a different player. In all competitions, Bailey scored 14 times while grabbing 14 assists as he emerged as one of the main attacking threats in this vibrant Villa side.
He was one of the reasons the Midlands side finished fourth in the Premier League. Emery will be hoping he can replicate these performances over the next few months.
Signing Geertruida could be key in this aspect, as the defender offers much better attacking qualities than Cash. The 24-year-old scored a remarkable eight times from right-back in the Dutch top flight last term, adding five assists, creating seven big chances and averaging 1.2 key passes per game.
The right-back even succeeded with 58% of his dribble attempts for the club, suggesting that he regularly bombs down the right flank and this could indicate that Bailey would get plenty of support going forwards.
U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed the Dutchman towards the end of 2023, saying that he had “sublime tactical nous” while claiming that Geertruida is a “modern day versatile defender”, yet more evidence of what he could bring to Villa.
When compared to his positional peers, Geertruida ranks in the top 1% for progressive passes (7.94) and for non-penalty goals (0.21) per 90, while also ranking in the top 10% for total shots per 90 (1.16) and in the top 15% for touches in opposition penalty area per 90 (1.9) across the men’s next 14 competitions.
His versatility and skills going forward, plus incredible defensive output mean Geertruida would be an excellent signing for Emery this summer as he looks to bolster the right side of his defence.
For a fee of around £27m, the move could turn into a real bargain, absolutely no doubt about that. The next few weeks will be exciting indeed for the supporters as they look to see another one or two players added to the squad ahead of Villa’s most important campaign in years.
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