Leeds United Opinion: Why Leeds United should beat Aston Villa to sign Stephy Mavididi
According to claims from TEAMtalk, as cited by Wales Online, newly-promoted outfit Aston Villa and Championship promotion-hopefuls Leeds United are set to battle it out for the signing of Juventus striker Stephy Mavididi.
Mavididi left Arsenal to join Juventus last summer and the 21-year-old’s red-hot form for the reserve side of the Serie A champions has put some of the Premier League and Championship clubs on red alert.
Wales Online understands that Mavididi, who scored 6 goals in 32 outings for Juventus’s reserve side in Serie C this past season, has attracted interest from a host of English clubs, including Middlesbrough, Derby County, Burnley, Newcastle United, Everton, Fulham and Southampton.
Aston Villa and Leeds are believed to be the two clubs pushing the hardest for the highly-rated former Arsenal academy product.
Born in Derby, England, to parents of Congolese descent, Mavididi joined Arsenal at the youth level back in 2010 and rose through the ranks before being loaned out to Charlton Athletic in League One. He wasn’t able to make much of an impression over there and was shipped out on loan to Preston North End in the Championship in the following season before once again returning to Charlton for a second loan stint.
The 21-year-old moved to Juventus in search of first-team opportunities last summer and caught the eye with his stellar run of form for the reserves, eventually making his first-team bow in the Serie A in Juventus’ 2-1 defeat to SPAL 2013 back in April. In doing so, Mavididi became the first English player since David Platt in 1992 to play for Juventus.
Predominantly a right-footed player, Mavididi is essentially a centre-forward by trade but he is also capable of playing out wide on the left and through the centre as a supporting striker. The 21-year-old lacks adequate top-level exposure but he is highly-rated and one would expect him to carve out a reputation for himself in the years to follow.
To put things into perspective, Stephy Mavididi looks like a real talent and his performances for Juventus at the reserve level speak volumes of his potential as a striker.
It is very difficult for English players to thrive in the Serie A but the 21-year-old has already shown strong signs of promise.
Far from the finished article and still very much in the developmental stage of his career, Mavididi would be a good addition to the youth ranks of both Villa and Leeds. However, a move to Elland Road would give him a better opportunity of making a first-team breakthrough, given that the Whites will be competing in the Championship next term.
The 21-year-old is at a point in his career where he needs to play regularly and, with Villa set to play in the Premier League the following season, the starlet could find opportunities hard to come by.
He would probably go into the development squad at Elland Road even if a move does materialize, but given the lack of firepower in the club’s ranks, opportunities might pop up for the youngster to establish himself in the first-team.
The Yorkshire giants are currently short of attacking options following the return of loanees Jack Harrison and Izzy Brown to their parent clubs Man City and Chelsea respectively, whilst the future of Samu Saiz remains up in the air.
Also, last season’s top-scorer Kemar Roofe has only 12 months remaining on his current contract at Elland Road and Leeds are yet to convince him to put pen to paper on a fresh deal.
If Mavididi manages to impress Marcelo Bielsa during the pre-season, he might be set for a first-team role in the Championship next season.
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All in all, Leeds should look at the 21-year-old as someone who could add a little bit more depth and quality to their attacking ranks next season, and they could have a gem on their hands if he goes on to fulfil his promise in the years to come.
