During his short time at the club, Aston Villa have enjoyed a half-season of thrills under Unai Emery.
The Spaniard took over from Steven Gerrard as boss at Villa Park following the Englishman’s dismissal in November, and his side haven’t looked back since.
With the hope of a European finish still in their reach, the Villans are building something special with the four-time Europa League-winning coach, who has introduced a host of positives in his first six months in charge.
Just two games stand in the way of Villa and European football next season, however despite focus being on the two crucial meetings, the club have started to turn their attention to the summer transfer window.
Villa Park has been the subject of numerous transfer stories already ahead of the summer, ignited by the inbound director of football Mateu Alemany from FC Barcelona and Emery’s links to exciting foreign stars.
Putting hot LaLiga interest aside, the club have been linked to a player in Serie A, one that could provide more than just his playing ability to Villa’s midfield.
What’s the latest on Marcelo Brozovic to Aston Villa?
News emerging this week from InterLive speculates that the Midlands outfit could make a €55m double offer to sign Inter Milan duo Marcelo Brozovic and Denzel Dumfries.
The two have been linked with a departure from the Italian giants this summer, with the report claiming that Alemany’s involvement at Villa could assist the potential swoop.
What could Marcelo Brozovic bring to Aston Villa?
Described as a midfield “maestro” by his club and as an "incredible player" by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, Brozovic has featured 25 times this season in Serie A, maintaining a Sofascore match rating of 7.00 throughout the testing campaign.
Playing in the engine room requires a host of attributes, both defensively and in attacking aspects to dictate play and protect the back line, the Croatian boasts a passing accuracy of 90% per game, as well as winning 50% of his ground duels (2.3 per game) – as per Sofascore.
The 30-year-old has made 324 appearances in his career at Inter so far, making him a top performer and an experienced player at the highest level.
Signing a player such as Brozovic could positively influence Villa’s midfield, particularly Douglas Luiz, who could have his expertise in the position furthered playing alongside a figure as experienced as the Croatian.
The two are very similar in play and are likened to each other as per FBref for their solidity in the engine room. When imagined in Villa’s midfield, the duo could complement one another through their strengths in opposing areas.
While Brozovic is a more accomplished passer than Luiz, the Brazilian betters defensively in interceptions and aerials won per 90, averaging 1.29 interceptions to the £184k-per-week machine's 1.05 and 0.83 aerials to 0.44 per 90 – as per FBref.
At just 25 years of age, Luiz has a long and promising career ahead of him in the Premier League, one that could be boosted by playing alongside a man with the stature of European experience as Brozovic in a deal that could inspire Villa’s midfield for years to come.