Aston Villa are keeping a close eye on developments at Vitória de Guimarães after strengthening their ties with the Portuguese club.
Villa had two representatives in the stands for Vitória’s opening league match against Arouca on Saturday. The home side lost 1-0, with Iván Barbero scoring the game’s only goal.
The Wednesday edition of Portuguese newspaper O Jogo reports the presence of the Premier League club’s officials at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques.
Of course, VSports owns 29% of Vitória’s SAD and the two clubs have already done business this summer. Oliwier Zych and Yeimar Mosquera have both moved from Aston Villa to Vitória.
O Jogo says the latest visit came as part of the new Vitória board’s policy of building a closer relationship between the clubs.
Aston Villa get a closer look at Vitória
Aston Villa’s representatives therefore had a good opportunity to check on the players already sent to Portugal.
Trips like this can naturally serve another purpose. Villa can watch Vitória’s squad closely and see whether any players could be interesting for them further down the line.
Two of the younger Vitória players are worth keeping an eye on in that respect.
Oumar Camara is a 19-year-old winger, while Gonçalo Nogueira is a 22-year-old midfielder. Both fit the sort of age profile which could make sense for Villa to monitor for the future.
There were also players on the opposite side who caught the eye. Arouca midfielder Taichi Fukui, 22, and talented 26-year-old winger Naïs Djouahra performed well above most of those around them in the 1-0 victory.
It would be a stretch to present them as targets. Still, they stole the attention.
Relationship could work in both directions
Aston Villa’s presence is still interesting because the relationship with Vitória is clearly becoming more active.
Oliwier Zych and Yeimar Mosquera have already gone from Birmingham to Guimarães this summer. That gives Villa somewhere to place players who need regular football and further development.
The arrangement also puts Villa closer to the Portuguese market. Having representatives regularly attending Vitória matches would give them another way of identifying players before their value and profile rise considerably.
Saturday’s visit appears to be another small step in that relationship. Villa can check how their own players are progressing and, while they’re there, keep an eye on everyone else too.
