The two genius signings Aston Villa could make to replace Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho in January

Aston Villa are on the brink of the top four as they look to get back into the Champions League. They missed out last season and were forced to settle for the Europa League. Unai Emery’s side are currently positioned in 6th place in the Premier League table after their first 11 fixtures.

They are only one point behind Sunderland in 4th heading into the international break. The Midlands outfit won 4-0 at home to AFC Bournemouth last time out and are back in action on 23rd November against Leeds United at Elland Road. Emi Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen got their goals against the Cherries as they secured a useful win.

Aston Villa should target La Liga ace as Jadon Sancho replacement

Aston Villa landed winger Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United in the summer. However, he hasn’t been able to break into their starting XI and has struggled for game time. His future at Villa Park is up in the air and Emery needs to start thinking about potential replacements.

Step forward Real Sociedad ace Takefusa Kubo, who would be an ideal alternative. The Japan international, who has 46 caps to his name, has caught the eye in La Liga over recent times. At the age of 24, he has potential to grow and develop down the line.

Kubo joined his current club back in 2022 and has since become one of their most prized assets. He has scored 24 goals in 147 appearances and his pace and power causes all sorts of problems to opposition defenders. If he was snapped up by Aston Villa, he would inject more quality into their squad and would give them more competition and depth going forward.

The former FC Tokyo man was on the books at Real Madrid from 2019 to 2022. He never played for the first-team of the Spanish giants though. Instead, they loaned him out to the likes of Real Mallorca, Villarreal and Getafe to get some experience under his belt and boost his development.

Aston Villa must eye Bundesliga star as Harvey Elliott alternative

Like Sancho, Harvey Elliott is also in limbo at Aston Villa this winter. He arrived on a temporary basis from Liverpool in the last transfer window. The attacker hasn’t been able to get as much game time as he would have wanted to though.

If Elliott heads back to Anfield, Emery should consider Mainz star Paul Nebel. He is a bit of a hidden gem in the Bundesliga and would be a shrewd pick-up by a team in England. He fits the Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth type target mould. The ex-Germany youth international can play on either wing or down the middle behind the striker so his versatility is a handy attribute.

Nebel has risen up through the academy at Mewa Arena and was a regular at various different youth levels. He was loaned out to Karlsruher twice in the Bundesliga.2 to get exposure to senior football. The playmaker has since become one of his current team’s most valuable assets since his return and they could face a battle to keep hold of him.

He earned his first call-up to the Germany national team back in August. Nebel found the net on 10 occasions in the last campaign for Mainz and has shown that he knows where the back of the net is. Aston Villa probably wouldn’t have to pay huge money to get him either which would free up funds for other targets. He has been compared to Xherdan Shaqiri on the official Bundesliga website for his ‘low centre of gravity’ at 5ft 7in.