By securing progress into the fourth round of the FA Cup, Aston Villa begin 2024 fighting on three fronts and the next few months have the potential to be one of their finest-ever seasons.
Of course, Unai Emery won't be getting carried away, but the fact the club are sitting second in the Premier League table along with progressing into the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League, the chances of ending their 28-year trophy drought have never been better.
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The January transfer window is in operation and the Spaniard will be eyeing up a few new recruits to add some freshness to his squad ahead of what could become a hectic schedule for the club.
A few names have naturally been linked with a move to Villa Park over the previous week or so, but it is a League One defender that the club appear to be chasing if recent reports are to go by…
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ByLuke RandallFeb 1, 2024 Aston Villa transfer news – Ronnie Edwards
According to the print edition of the Mail on Sunday (7 January, page 100), Villa are the latest side to show interest in defender Ronnie Edwards
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They join West Ham United and Crystal Palace as the Premier League sides who are monitoring the centre-back this month as the clubs line up to prise him away from Peterborough United.
With Emery building Villa back into a team who are capable of challenging the elite, a move to the Midlands could tempt Edwards and this will give them an edge over West Ham and Palace with regard to a potential swoop for the young talent.
The interest from clubs in the top flight in Edwards isn’t new. Indeed, Manchester United were even linked with him back in 2021 as they sought highly-rated English talent to bolster their squad.
Fast-forward two and a half years, and it appears as though the player has served his apprenticeship at Peterborough and is ready to take the next step in his career.
Emery has plenty of top-class talent fighting it out for the two places at the heart of the defence, as the likes of Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos, and Tyrone Mings can all bring their own skillset to the role.
Mings is currently out for the season having suffered a serious injury against Newcastle in the opening match of the campaign and signing Edwards could unfortunately soon signal the end of his Villa spell in due time.
Tyrone Mings’ Aston Villa statistics
The 30-year-old joined the club in the summer of 2019 for £20m having enjoyed a loan spell the season prior, helping the Midlands side win promotion back to the Premier League after a three-year absence.
Since his maiden campaign, Mings has missed only 12 league matches out of 152 and has become a mainstay in the heart of their defence over the previous four years, underlining how reliable he has been.
Under Emery, the Englishman enjoyed his finest season at the club during 2022/23, finishing the season ranked first for accurate passes per game (46) while also ranking first for interceptions (1.5) and clearances (4.5) per match, showcasing his wonderful passing ability and defensive acumen which helped propel Villa to a sixth-place finish.
There was no doubt the likes of Torres, Konsa and Carlos were all fighting it out to be Mings’ partner this season. That was until disaster struck against Newcastle.
The defender was stretchered off after his studs got caught in the turf, and he subsequently jarred his knee, leading to a long layoff for the defender.
While Emery was not short of options to replace him, could this injury signify that Mings’ spell at the club could be nearing an end? Indeed, he has just two years left on his current deal.
Signing Edwards could accelerate this notion, with the youngster looking like an ideal replacement for the veteran defender.
Ronnie Edward’s career statistics
Despite not turning 21 until March, Edwards has already amassed 117 appearances for the Posh since making his debut during the 2020/21 campaign.
Director of football at Peterborough, Barry Fry, previously lavished praise on his young defender following his initial foray into the senior side, saying: "Ronnie is a Rolls Royce. We knew that when we signed him.
"It’s no secret how highly Ronnie is rated by other clubs and by the England set up. We had 18 Premier League scouts watching him play for the under 23s at our stadium.
"Ronnie is money in the bank for the club. He’s a certainty to have an outstanding career in the game, but there’s no better place, and no better manager than Darren Ferguson, to help him develop quickly.”
It appears as though the club could be set to secure some money in the bank if he moves to the Premier League, and his statistics recently would certainly justify a lavish fee.
Accurate passes per game
49.1
79
Total duels won per game
4
3.7
Tackles per game
2
1
Interceptions per game
1.4
1
Clearances per game
3.3
4.4
Edwards has been sublime this term so far as the club currently occupies third place in the League One table. The 20-year-old has a 92% pass success rate and his average of 79 accurate passes per game ranks him first among the whole squad.
Additionally, the youngster ranks first for accurate long balls per game (7.6), first for clearances per game (4.4) and fourth for interceptions per game (one), as he is clearly among the finest players at the club.
Edwards has experience in the Championship, making 34 appearances in the second tier during the 2021/22 campaign, and this has obviously improved him as a player.
The time to make a step-up is now, as the former Barnet starlet is clearly too good to be playing in the third tier of English football and Villa will continue to monitor his progress over the next couple of weeks.
It remains unclear just how much Fry will want for his prized asset, but Emery may have to spend a decent amount in order to fend off competition and secure his signature.
Mings will recover from his knee injury in the next few months hopefully, but he may potentially find his return to the first team blocked by the 5 foot 11 Edwards, who could emerge as one of the finest defenders in the country over the next few years.
