Aston Villa's decision to bring in Alejandro Garnacho rather than pursue RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa is being questioned by Football Insider after the Norwegian produced another strong performance in the Bundesliga.
Garnacho joined Villa from Chelsea during the summer transfer window on a loan deal that carries an obligation reportedly worth approximately £43m, which is expected to be triggered next year. The 22-year-old has been restricted to substitute appearances in the Premier League so far and remained unused during Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest.
Nusa took a different path this summer, staying in Germany where he has made a rapid start to the campaign. In Leipzig's 5-0 victory over Hamburg on Sunday, the 21-year-old scored his second goal of the season and registered two assists, bringing his total to three goals and two assists across five games.
According to Football Insider, several Premier League clubs were aware that Nusa could have been available for around £51m during the recent window, but none moved to complete a transfer. Villa were among the teams said to have considered him before committing to Garnacho.
The publication highlights detailed statistics from Sunday's win, noting that Nusa created three chances in 78 minutes, completed three dribbles, won six of seven duels and made four recoveries. He is now just six goal contributions away from matching his best seasonal output.
Nusa originally moved to Leipzig from Club Brugge in 2024 for a fee understood to be in the region of £20m. Before that switch, both Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford held discussions about signing him, with Brentford reportedly agreeing a £25m deal and arranging a medical before withdrawing over concerns about his knee.
Leipzig reached a different conclusion following their own assessment. Although Nusa missed two months with a knee injury during the 2024-25 season, he has been available consistently since returning. Speaking to Transfermarkt previously, the winger addressed the setback, saying: "First, I tried to figure out what was wrong with my fitness."
With the transfer window now closed until January 2027, Villa cannot revisit any alternative targets in the short term. Garnacho will need to force his way into the starting line-up to quieten the early comparisons being drawn elsewhere.
