Dean Smith’s Premier League strugglers will surely lose their captain – but Dijon’s Ligue 1 star Mounir Chouiar could replace Grealish at Villa Park.
Aston Villa are hoping to sign exciting Dijon forward Mounir Chouiar this summer, according to L’Equipe, with the potential Jack Grealish replacement tipped to cost a bargain £7 million.
If Villa’s widemen had been a little more reliable in front of goal, perhaps Dean Smith’s relegation threatened side would not be sitting just two points above Norwich City in 19th place with only a few games of the season to go.
Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet, for all their qualities, are not exactly the most dependable of performers. Time and again, the Dutchman and the Egyptian have squandered glorious chances which have ended up costing Villa dear.
And with Chouiar potentially on his way across the Channel, both El Ghazi and Trezeguet will be under pressure to prove their worth before the summer transfer window opens. After all, the Ligue 1 starlet has an impressive eight goals to his name this season, cutting the mustard in Dijon.
“He is a serious talent in on-on-one situations. He’s a young player who’s starting to adapt to the top flight,” Dijon coach Stephan Jobard told Ligue 1’s website recently of a player who was also linked with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth by LeFoot.
A jinking left winger who loves to cut inside onto his favoured right foot, it is surely no coincidence that Chouiar is at his best when floating in from the same flank that Jack Grealish has made his own in recent months.
With the classy captain heavily tipped to depart this summer, regardless of whether Aston Villa survive the drop, the Midland giants will have to prepare for a likely scenario and scour the market for potential replacements.
Could Chouiar fill a Grealish-shaped void in Smith’s starting XI?
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