Aston Villa ‘serious’ about former Premier League midfielder and Unai Emery could be the making of him

Aston Villa are weighing up a move for Leicester City midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, according to reports in Morocco.

Villa are apparently keen to be known as ‘one of the most serious clubs in the race’ for the 21-year-old Moroccan international, who won admirers last season despite being relegated from the Premier League with Leicester.

Promoted teams Leeds United and Sunderland have both been credited with an interest in El Khannouss but Moroccan media reported this week that Villa see themselves as the keenest suitor of all.

El Khannouss was born in Belgium but has been representing Morocco since Under-20 level. The Foxes brought him to England from Genk last summer and he was one of the few Leicester players who escaped the 2024/25 season with much credit after making his debut against Villa in August.

The Morocco international is a right-footed attacking midfielder who operates mostly on the left and was up for the challenge of being unusually combative for an attacker in a poor Leicester team last season.

He started 27 of his 32 appearances in the Premier League, clocking up more than 2,000 minutes and scoring twice. He’s above average in his position in terms of passing range and is a useful ball carrier too. He works hard without the ball and has demonstrated promise in possession insofar as it was possible last term.

El Khannouss has three years left on his Leicester contract and is understood to be rated in the region of £20 million.

Unai Emery makes players better

It’s the age and potential of El Khannouss that grabbed my attention when Villa’s interest was reported this week.

In Unai Emery, Villa have a manager capable of turning exactly these raw materials into a top-flight player making the most of his abilities in every game.

I’d argue near enough every player active in Villa’s first team since Emery arrived in 2022 has been improved by the manager’s influence but Morgan Rogers is a particularly relevant example.

Rogers joined Villa last January at the age of 21, signed from Middlesbrough in the Championship. While he was certainly an eye-catching player in the second tier and arrived at Villa Park with fine pedigree having been picked up by Manchester City from West Bromwich Albion’s academy in 2019, Rogers has emerged as a Premier League powerhouse on Emery’s watch in just a year and a half.

El Khannouss – and Villa – could do worse than looking at his example.

The Leicester midfielder has a Championship season ahead of him after a Premier League ordeal he was, broadly, able to rise above. Like Rogers, he would most likely come in without immediate first team expectations but high hopes within the club and plenty of contact time with the manager and coaching staff.

As yet, there are no reports of a concrete approach for El Khannouss. But, now it’s been mooted, I’ve become rather keen on the idea.

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