Aston Villa Technical Director Steve Round is busy reconstructing the scouting department after Head of Recruitment Paddy Riley was sacked earlier in the Fall.
A host of Europe’s largest clubs were seen attending Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Dynamo Kiev.
Benfica’s Eduardo Salvio’s 1st half penalty was enough to see the Portuguese side collect all three points.
Sunderland have a plan to avoid relegation. They're in Lisbon tonight scouting Benfica-Dynamo Kiev. Here's the official list of scouts. pic.twitter.com/N8V89CKCgm
— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) November 1, 2016
For Aston Villa this match-up makes sense. Both clubs own young, dynamic players in positions of need for the Claret and Blue. Serbia international Ljubomir Fejsa plays a hard-nosed defensive midfield that could benefit the likes of Villa in the English League Championship.
Fejsa went fifty-nine minutes before being substituted. Elsewhere, Ex-Barcelona left back Alex Grimaldo now plies his trade with the Portuguese giants. He’s made a fast start to the season with two goals from ten matches in his defensive position.
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Nineteen-year old forward Gonçalo Guedes is another player clamoring for attention. The young attacker has thirty-plus appearances with the club in just over eighteen months. He caught the eye of Portugal manager Fernando Santos–who called him into camp, where he made two appearances for the 2016 European Championship winners.
Not to be outdone, Dynamo Kiev boasts, perhaps, Eastern Europe’s most talented squad. Led by Ukrainian star Andriy Yarmolenko, the club have won the Ukrainian Premier League two years running (to go along with their yearly occurrence in the UEFA Champions League).
Now I doubt Villa were scouting Yarmolenko heavily, but certainly the club’s other players caught their eye.
Twenty-five year old midfielder Serhiy Sydorchuk is a player that could help Aston Villa right away this January. He’s a versatile play-maker who could offer more dynamic play than say, Ashley Westwood.
Football in the 21st century is truly global; in order to find hidden value, the club must scour the globe for talented, underappreciated players.