Aston Villa were in the market to sign a new centre-forward in the January transfer window after they allowed Donyell Malen to move to Italian giants Roma.
The Villans were reportedly interested in a deal to sign Crystal Palace number nine Jean-Philippe Mateta, who was said to have agreed personal terms with the club over a move to Villa Park.
Crystal Palace put a price tag of £40m on the France international, whilst they wrapped up a deal for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Aston Villa seemingly did not want to pay that much for him.
Unai Emery pivoted to a striker the supporters already knew very well, as England international Tammy Abraham returned for a second spell at the club, signing on a permanent deal from Besiktas.
Abraham and Ollie Watkins will now battle it out to be the first-choice number nine for the Villans in the second half of the campaign and beyond.
Why Aston Villa’s failure to sign Mateta is a good thing
The headline ending to the Mateta saga was that a proposed move to AC Milan fell through at the last minute due to a knee problem that was picked up in the Italian side’s medical.
He is now set for a period on the sidelines, and may require surgery, which means that Villa may not have had him available for selection for some time if they had signed the Frenchman.
On top of that, Mateta’s form on the pitch has declined in comparison to last season. The experienced frontman scored his tenth goal of the season against Fulham on New Year’s Day, hitting double figures in 34 appearances.
He managed 17 goals in 46 matches in the 2024/25 campaign, though, and scored 14 goals from 13.53 xG in the Premier League, compared to eight goals from 11.97 xG this term in the division.
These two factors explain why Aston Villa were right not to sign Mateta from Palace in January, as he may not have been fit enough to play and is not playing at the peak of his abilities.
Abraham is not quite as prolific, as he has not scored more than eight league goals in any of the last four seasons, but there is a talented prospect in the youth academy who could be Emery’s own version of Mateta.
The Aston Villa youngster who could be Emery’s own Mateta
Villa do not need an academy player to step up and make an immediate impact in the first-team, as they did sign Abraham, and Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers both rank in the top 50 in the Premier League Power Rankings.
Aston Villa almost let go of 20-year-old centre-forward Rory Wilson in the January transfer window, as a loan with an option to buy to Hoffenheim was discussed, but he ended up staying at the club.
As was the case with the Mateta saga, the Villans should be glad for the way that played out because the Scotland youth international has the potential to be a future star for Emery.
In fact, U23 scout Antonio Mango once described him as a “star in the making” and hailed the young number nine as a “clinical” striker, which is backed up by his phenomenal goal record.
Wilson scored over 40 goals for Rangers’ academy in the 2021/22 campaign before signing for Villa in the summer of 2022. He followed that up with 46 goals in 52 matches for Villa’s youth teams in the 2022/23 season.
|
Rory Wilson’s U18 + U21 form for Villa |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
|
25/26 |
12 |
7 |
|
24/25 |
6 |
3 |
|
23/24 |
29 |
19 |
The Scottish youngster has not been quite as prolific since he stepped up to U18 and U21 level with Villa, although that is because of how out of this world his earlier numbers were, and he struggled with an ankle injury in the 2024/25 campaign.
Since coming back from those injury issues, Wilson has averaged more than a goal every other game at academy level this season, which shows that he is back on track to being a prolific striker.
His two goals against Coventry in the 2023/24 season highlight how clever he is in and around the box to create chances for himself, as he knows the best positions to be in to get shots off.
Mateta is a similar type of striker in style as he is constantly in great positions to score, hence why he ranked seventh for xG in the Premier League last season and third in the current campaign.
If Villa can get Wilson to carry his academy form over to the first team, the Scottish youngster could end up being Emery’s own Mateta as an xG and goal machine in the number nine position.
11 years after leaving, Aston Villa hero is now even better than Abraham
One former Aston Villa star has massively managed to catch the eye in front of goal after leaving.
