Aston Villa continued their wonderful Premier League form with a comeback win over Brentford over the weekend.
Unai Emery’s men now face ties against Sheffield United, Manchester United and Burnley before 2023 draws to a close and with the way they are playing, nine points is certainly a realistic ambition.
While these three clashes are his priority right now, Emery will soon turn his attention to the January transfer window and the chance to further bolster his squad.
Aston Villa transfer news – Bundesliga raid planned
According to TEAMtalk, the Midlands side are currently in the race to sign Stuttgart centre-back Waldemar Anton in the upcoming January window.
Arsenal and West Ham United are also showing interest in the German defender as the chase heats up to see who could secure his signature.
The 27-year-old is the captain of the Bundesliga side and with just 18 months left on his current contract, Emery may be able to land the player for an affordable fee.
The Spaniard has enjoyed some success by raiding the Bundesliga since arriving at Villa Park, with Moussa Diaby emerging as one of his key players this season following his move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Waldemar Anton’s statistics this season
Diaby cost Villa a club record £51.9m deal in the summer after he had registered 25 goal contributions last season for the Bundesliga club – 14 goals and 11 assists – and he has looked impressive in the Premier League so far.
In 17 top-flight matches, the Frenchman has scored three goals and grabbed five assists and these figures should only get better over the next few months.
Making a move for Anton could see Emery secure yet another gem from the German top flight, and he has been in wonderful form for Stuttgart thus far during the current campaign.
The 5 foot 11 gem currently ranks first across the squad for accurate passes per game (65.8) in the Bundesliga, along with ranking fourth for interceptions (1.3) and first for clearances (4.5) per game, and he has been an integral member of the team which currently occupies fourth spot in the league table.
His manager, Sebastian Hoeneß, has recently praised the defender and claimed he deserves a call-up to the senior German side.
He said: "Waldi flys a bit under the radar. He plays incredibly consistently, is an unbelievable stabilizing factor, and makes very few mistakes. That's a very important characteristic for a defender. Both on and off the ball, Waldi has delivered performances that render him worthy of a look [for the national team]."
High praise indeed and while Emery has a few options at centre-back, signing the 27-year-old could certainly add some strength in depth to his squad.
With knockout European football to come in the spring alongside maintaining their current league form, having plenty of options to call upon could be vital for Emery.
Anton is currently playing some of the best football of his career and Villa have already enjoyed some success from Germany recently. Could the Stuttgart captain continue this trend?