Despite enjoying a hugely successful season, Aston Villa are looking ahead to the summer transfer window.
The club have tied down their manager, with Unai Emery signing a new contract last week.
Full focus on the pitch is on the battle for a Champions League spot and the Europa Conference League semi-final against Olympiacos.
However, behind the scenes Villa are constantly looking at how they can continue to progress and president of football operations, Monchi, will be exploring options ahead of the summer.
The Villans are being linked with some exciting names, but signing a former player for free could represent an astute bit of business for the Villa Park club.
Callum O’Hare linked with Aston Villa return
That player is Coventry City’s Callum O’Hare.
The attacking midfielder has been in the spotlight recently as a key member of the Coventry side who completed an incredible FA Cup semi-final comeback against Manchester United having been 3-0 down.
Unfortunately for O’Hare and his teammates, United won the tie on penalties but their heroics were a reminder of why fans are so fond of the FA Cup.
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a hugely positive campaign in the Championship, having only retuned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out since Boxing Day 2022 in late October.
The once-capped England under-20 international is out of contract in the summer and this looks set to set in motion a scrambling for his signature.
As originally reported by The Sun, Villa are one of a number of clubs looking to sign the free agent, with West Ham United, Fulham and Southampton all keen to sign the man who has played the bulk of his career in the Championship.
Villa signing O’Hare makes sense
It is not surprising to see Villa linked with a move for O’Hare, and not just because he came through the youth set up at the club prior to moving to Coventry in 2020.
The midfield dynamo made nine first-team appearances for the club before making the move, providing one assist according to Transfermarkt.
Since joining Coventry, O’Hare has gone from strength to strength despite the aforementioned injury setback, scoring 22 goals and providing 30 assists in 181 appearances for the club.
This season alone the midfielder has scored ten goals and provided four assists in all competitions.
Speaking on O’Hare to the club’s official website, Coventry boss Mark Robins spoke highly of the player’s attitude, as he said:
“I think he has been incredible because I mean looking back at Boxing Day last year and to see him was heart-breaking after the injury and then to see him come to terms with the injury and then go through that.
“The journey that he’s been on this this year has been really tough and lonely and we’ve given him space. We’ve given him time he’s worked really hard in between those times but he’s deserved a little bit of time off.”
O’Hare will be a Premier League player next season, of that there is little doubt, and given his lack of fee – combined with his ability to play either as a centre-midfielder, second striker or wide player in Emery’s system – Villa Park could be a sensible destination.
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