Aston Villa Set To Rival Premier League Duo For This Bundesliga Star: Why They Must Step Up The Chase | OneFootball

According to The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Aston Villa are monitoring the situation of Romano Schmid. But they are not alone in the hunt, with fellow Premier League outfits Fulham and West Ham United also keeping close eyes on the Werder Bremen attacking midfielder. A deal is not advanced at this stage, but his suitors are aware of his €15m valuation.

After a brief stint with Union SV Vasoldsberg, the 25-year-old Austria international progressed through Sturm Graz’s academy ranks and eventually made his senior debut in 2017. RB Salzburg snapped him up for €600,000 a few months later and loaned him to their ‘sister club’ FC Liefering in the second division for regular minutes.

German side Werder Bremen tied him down for €1m in January 2019, but they sent him out on loan to Wolfsberger AC in the Austrian Bundesliga until the closure of the 2019-20 campaign. Schmid secured a regular role for the River Islanders since returning from loan, and he enjoyed a productive 2024-25 season with five goals and assists each in 32 league outings [stats via Transfermarket].

Schmid’s Valuation Plays A Key Role

Aston Villa are having a quiet summer in terms of transfer business. They failed to secure Champions League football following a controversial defeat against Manchester United in the final gameweek. Although the management handled PSR issues by selling their women’s team to a related entity, business this summer must be conducted carefully to be compliant with the Premier League’s regulations.

BREMEN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 16: Romano Schmid and Issa Kabore of Werder Bremen celebrate their team’s first goal, an own-goal scored by Stanley Nsoki of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim during the Bundesliga match between SV Werder Bremen and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Weserstadion on February 16, 2025 in Bremen, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The Lions have only roped in two teenage prospects in Yasin Özcan and Zépiqueno Redmond, along with Marco Bizot, a veteran custodian, to succeed Robin Olsen between the sticks. They are expected to tie down a new ‘number 1’ if Emiliano Martinez departs amid strong interest from Manchester United, but the other areas must also be bolstered, particularly the ‘number 10’ spot, after opting against converting Marco Asensio’s loan into a permanent transfer.

Why Aston Villa Should Bring Him In

Meanwhile, they could not retain the services of Marcus Rashford beyond last season. Also, the growing interest in Jacob Murphy, Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey from both England and abroad leads to further uncertainties in and around the attacking third. The Villans must find the right players to strengthen themselves high up the pitch; however, their attacking set-up under Unai Emery relies heavily on Morgan Rogers for his creative spark and the ability to dominate the half spaces as a midfield attacker.

Schmid might not be viewed as an instant first-team option, but would challenge and cover Rogers, with the latter capable of featuring from the flanks. But the ‘number 10’ role is crucial in Emery’s 4-2-3-1 formation, and the Austrian playmaker, regarded for his dribbling, through passes, layoffs and link-up play, holds all the traits to script a success story at Villa Park.