Who is Kosta Nedeljkovic? Aston Villa's 'super smart' long-term solution at right-back

Aston Villa have completed their first signing of the January transfer window, as the club has agreed terms with Red Star Belgrade for right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic. According to Fabrizio Romano, both clubs agreed a fee of around €7.6 million for the 18-year-old star, on the condition that he will remain at his current side on loan for the remainder of the season. The arrival of Nedeljkovic will take Villa’s spending over the course of the entire season to just above €100m. 

Although the Birmingham club will have to wait until next season to get a proper look at their new signing, Villa fans will be desperate to know what kind of player Nedeljkovic really is and, most importantly, whether he’s good enough to make a significant difference to Unai Emery’s side next season. So let’s take a closer look at the Serbian prospect and break down what he is and isn’t good at. 

How good is new Villa signing Kosta Nedeljkovic? 

Having come through the club’s youth ranks and after a brief loan spell at Graficar, Nedeljkovic broke into Red Star’s first team this season and has since gone from strength to strength. After starting games on the bench, the young defender was given his first league start in a 3-2 win over Javor-Matis in late October and has since been a regular starter for the club, not only in the league but also cup competitions and the Champions League. Which included two substitute appearances against RB Leipzig and starts in the defeats to Young Boys and Manchester City. 

So how good is Nedeljkovic? “Nedeljkovic has great potential. At only 17 years of age he played regularly in the Champions League and was one of the best in Red Star’s team,” notes Transfermarkt’s Serbian football expert, Aleksandar Milic. “He has enormous potential as a physical athlete. His acceleration is extremely impressive for a player his size, has great pace without the ball and likes to play physically with plenty of contact. He can repeatedly run at high intensity for 90 minutes.”

Although Nedeljkovic may only have one assists in 12 league games to his name so far this season, Milic believes that the future Villa signing could prove to be a complete full-back capable of defending and attacking in equal measure. “He is a solid crosser of the ball, both from set plays and running positions,” notes Milic. “He also plays with a lot of discipline defensively, is excellent at covering for his teammates and anticipating opposition moves.”

And while Villa fans won’t get to see him in the claret and sky blue strip until next season, they can expect the hype around the defender to continue to grow throughout 2024 and perhaps peak at this summer’s European Championships. “With the experience that he is going to gain in the next six months at Red Star, we can expect to see him at Euro 2024 with the Serbian national team despite only being 18 years old,” adds Milic. “After a long time without any genuine candidates, Serbia now seems to have a modern right back who can play that position for the next 15 years. Aston Villa have made a super smart move.”