Chelsea and Aston Villa both 'want' a £41m striker this summer - and this is where he should go
Chelsea and Aston Villa are battling to sign a Spanish wonderkid this summer
Aston Villa and Chelsea have both expressed a strong interest in signing Samu Agehowa - formerly known as Omorodion - in the summer transfer window, according to reports from AS.
Villa are believed to be in the market to sign another centre forward to fill the void left by Colombian youngster Jhon Duran after his big-money move to Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr, while Chelsea are also understood to be interested in signing a forward to add further competition to their existing attacking options of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and teenager Marc Guiu.
In July 2024, The Athletic reported that Chelsea had agreed a £34.5m deal with Atletico Madrid to sign Agehowa but discussions over the move ultimately broke down at the eleventh hour due to apparent contractual issues as the Blues in a dramatic U-turn instead opted to target Joao Felix.
Why Premier League clubs want Samuel Agehowa
Agehowa has been one of the breakout stars of the 2024/25 season. Since making the move to FC Porto, the 20-year-old has fired in 19 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions with two of those notably coming against Manchester United in the Europa League.
The Spaniard is a player with terrific speed, agility, strength and an ability to stretch defences with his excellent movement. He scores all types of goals but is particularly proficient in the air with five of his strikes coming from headers this term, as per Transfermarkt.
The young forward at the age of 20 is already a senior Spanish international and has established himself as one of the most feared attackers in Portuguese football, the reports from AS claims he is now valued at around £41m.
According to former Atlético Madrid scout Javier Vidales, via The Real Chelsea fans, Aghehowa is "more than just a strong striker who holds up play and distributes the ball". He sees Aghehowa as playing the "role of two attackers: a target man who occupies defenders and a mobile forward who finds space. If defenders close down the spaces, he acts as a traditional No.9; if they block him, he adapts to exploit openings.”
Who should Samu Agehowa join?
Based on his breakout season so far, the sky is the limit for Agehowa, who is already making Chelsea regret their decision not to sign him last summer. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa would present strong opportunities for Agehowa to develop his game in the Premier League, but based on Unai Emery’s track record of developing strikers Villa Park could offer him the best outcome.
Villa have a history of developing young strikers as they proved with Jhon Duran and have a much more stable attacking shape than Chelsea at this moment in time. They also have funds to spend after the sale of Duran - and have an experienced striker in Ollie Watkins who Agehowa could learn from before eventually taking his place in the near future.
Chelsea have a striker of a very similar profile to Agehowa in Nicolas Jackson - and have proven with Nkunku this season - and Joao Felix (now on loan at AC Milan) that they are not the most patient with centre forwards. The Blues have strength in attacking areas but should prioritise the goalkeeping department if they are to establish themselves as a top Champions League team in years to come.