Aston Villa should have signed £51m Alejandro Garnacho alternative as in-depth stats emerge
Aston Villa were linked with Antonio Nusa in the summer transfer window before ultimately signing Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea.
The 22-year-old has joined on loan with an obligation worth around £43million that should be triggered next summer.
The winger has only appeared off the bench in the Premier League so far and did not get on at all on Saturday against Nottingham Forest, however.
Nusa, on the other hand, netted his second goal of the season and claimed two assists as RB Leipzig smashed Hamburg 5-0 on Sunday.
The Norway international enjoyed a strong World Cup and was said to be of interest to several Premier League teams this summer.
Sources say the 21-year-old was available for a reasonable price, too - £51m - but no team decided to pull the trigger.
Antonio Nusa dominates in stats vs Hamburg
Nusa has been a known talent for many years now, having marked his debut for Norway's senior team with a goal and an assist at the age of just 18 in 2023.
He was playing for Club Brugge at the time and would be snapped up by Leipzig in 2024 for a deal worth around £20m.
Two strong seasons have followed but the start to this campaign suggests that the young winger may well be ready to explode.
With three goals and two assists in just five games, he is already just six goal contributions away from matching his career-best season tally.
Nusa's goal on Sunday was down to great defensive work to press the defender before finishing well, while his assists came from a free-kick and a brilliant dribble before a clever lay-off.
He created three chances in just 78 minutes on the day, completing three successful dribbles, four recoveries, being fouled twice and winning six of his seven duels.
Nusa's Brentford concern
In 2024, before Nusa joined Leipzig, both Tottenham and Brentford held talks to sign him from Brugge.
The Bees agreed a £25m fee and arranged for a medical, but ultimately pulled out of the deal citing a discovered issue with the winger's knee.
Leipzig came to a different decision in their own medical, and despite two months out with a knee injury in the 2024-25 season, Nusa has been fine to feature since.
"First, I tried to figure out what was wrong with my fitness,” the 21-year-old later said in an interview with Transfermarkt.
"Then, when we realized that everything was actually alright, it was important to reset and focus on the last part of the season. It took some time; I can’t say it was easy. My family and friends were very important in that process.”