Aston Villa have recently been linked with a move for precocious young centre-back Illya Zabarnyi, who has received interest from some of Europe’s top outfits of the past months.
According to The Sun (Saturday, 16:14), Villa are indeed considering a late swoop for the starlet before the conclusion of the January transfer window tomorrow night, competing for his signature among other prominent Premier League names such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
With the opportunity for a regular starting berth more likely to come swiftly at Villa Park, the Ukrainian ace could make his way to the English Midlands.
And with the inclusion of the £13m-rated titan, Villa Park could find the nucleus of their backline for many years to come, a player whose calibre aligns with the four-time Europa League winner Emery’s own aspirations.
Imagine him & Diego Carlos
Landing a talented prospect of Zabarnyi’s class encapsulates a marked improvement in transfer dealings in swift time since the introduction of Emery, with the £18m signing of exciting teenage winger Jhon Duran also bolstering the ranks for years to come.
For a player so young, the 20-year-old Zabarnyi is certainly making all the right moves to pave a successful future for himself, with scout Jacek Kulig once lauding the “dominant” qualities he already has at his disposal.
And having made 84 appearances for his homeland outfit already, the 6 foot 2 gem has successfully risen through the club’s youth ranks and cemented his invaluable stature despite his tender age, now perhaps ready to take the next step in his development and flourish among some of the game’s very best in the Premier League.
Ever since his formative years, Zabarnyi has been a player “a lot of potential”, as once lauded by Kiev club president Ihor Surkis, and having made 24 appearances for his nation already, including a starring role at EURO 2020, the sky certainly is the limit for this prodigious young talent.
Kulig once claimed that he’d be an “amazing signing” for a club in the top five leagues, and with the growing adulation for the young pro, it is clear that he will have an illustrious career, possibly blossoming into one of the leading defenders across the European scene.
Should he choose to make Villa Park his stomping ground, Zabarnyi could find a perfect partnership with distinguished Villan Diego Carlos, who joined the English side for a reported £26m last summer.
Bitterly, the Brazilian phenom ruptured his achilles tendon in just his second outing for his new club and is yet to make a return to the pitch, but with a successful stint in Spain with Sevilla, winning the 2019/20 Europa League, his reintroduction to the fold will be a huge boost to a resurgent outfit.
The 29-year-old was a consistent performer in La Liga, enjoying his most productive season last year, recording an average rating of 7.09 – as per Sofascore, where his tenacity, assurance and physicality proved invaluable for Sevilla, indeed completing an impressive 88% of his passes and sweeping danger aside with 3.5 clearances each occasion.
With Carlos indeed stricken with injury this season, the Claret & Blue faithful have been offered but a glimpse of the capabilities the behemoth can offer, but with the dynamism of Zabarnyi entwining with Carlos’ robust approach, experience and youthful vigour could merge excellently to unleash a formidable partnership that could indeed form the bedrock of Villa’s ascension under the tutelage of their sagely Spaniard boss.
Indeed, with that in mind, he could well be an amazing late acquisition for Johan Lange and co.
