6 goals, 8 assists; ‘Devastating’ £9m ace shows why Aston Villa want him

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Joseph Paintsil was in no mood to hide his disappointment after being cut from the Ghana squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup. 

“I am immensely disappointed that I was not selected. I’m devastated even,” the Genk winger tells Het Nieuwsblad. “I deserved that selection. I support Ghana, but it hurts.”

During Sunday’s 2-0 win at Anderlecht, Paintsil certainly channelled that ‘hurt’ in the right way; a burning desire to prove a point turbo-charging the jet-heeled Genk winger during another sparkling Jupiler League display. On this form, it’s difficult to disagree with the player’s stance that he ‘deserved’ a seat on the plane to Qatar.

Paintsil, to quote Het Nieuwsblad, was the ‘absolute tormentor’ of the Anderlecht backline at Lotto Park. He grabbed an eighth assist to go with his six goals this season. It was, in short, a performance which establishes the Accra-born 24-year-old as one of the division’s most fearsome forwards.

On this form, there are few better in Belgium’s top flight. Only one player has more assists so far.

Could Unai Emery’s Aston Villa sign Genk star Joseph Paintsil?

“For KRC Genk, the (World Cup) break is inconvenient,” writes HN reporter Ludo Vandewalle. 

“(The players) are in the form of their lives. Take Joseph Paintsil. (Anderlecht defender Moussa) N’Diaye was replaced after half an hour, so devastating were his runs on the right wing.” 

According to Sports World Ghana, Aston Villa are keeping tabs on the £9 million-rated Paintsil ahead of the January transfer window. A rapid, versatile and creative attacker; Paintsil is exactly the kind of forward Unai Emery tends to get the best out of; see Arnaut Danjuma, Yeremy Pino and a revitalised Leon Bailey. 

The one-time Ferencvaros youngster would, in theory, slot in nicely at a Villa side who’s attacking options look relatively threadbare these days. The summer departures of Anwar El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet mean there is a lack of support for Ollie Watkins and co. 

Since Emery’s appointment, Aston Villa have been linked with, among others, Nicolas Jackson, Marcus Thuram and the aforementioned Pino. Paintsil would not be quite so high-profile an addition. But what he lacks in star quality, he makes up for in affordability and consistency in the final third.