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Whilst Aston Villa aren’t exactly struggling for money any more, the club still need to be wary of how much they’re spending in the transfer market. We took a look at some potentially cut-price deals that the club could take advantage of.
Words by Sam Al-Ani (@Samalani1071) // Follow us on Twitter (@claretandview)
It has recently been revealed in an article by The Telegraph that Aston Villa have been operating under a transfer embargo which has now been lifted by the EFL. The transfer embargo was imposed after the club suffered financial difficulty as the gamble to gain promotion backfired. However, the dark clouds are moving on from Villa Park and with the investment of Aston Villa’s new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, fans are no longer asking if we’re going to have to sell Super Jack for £10m but instead who, if anyone, we can sign:
Aston Villa’s Cut-Price Options
Robert Huth
There has been a lot of speculation this summer that 33-year-old free agent Robert Huth might be on his way to Villa Park and it is hard to argue that a player of Huth’s calibre wouldn’t improve the squad. The 6ft 3 German is a three-time Premier League winner and surprisingly holds the record for Premier League appearances made by a German player. With the season starting, we’ve seen in pre–season that Steve Bruce has a serious lack of options at centre back with Alan Hutton, Mile Jedinak and most worryingly Neil Taylor occupying the space next to Chester. Bruce looks likely to adopt a 3-5-2 formation for the new campaign and a free Robert Huth is a great candidate to slot in the back five. It is worth noting for those worried about his age that unlike the players of yesteryear, modern day footballers are staying fit for longer as demonstrated by John Terry last season.
Axel Tuanzebe
Axel Tuanzebe arrived on loan at Aston Villa last season with an air of excitement surrounding him. The Manchester United loanee only managed ten appearances, with a number of these coming from the bench, and found himself sidelined for the vast majority of games in the second half of the season. If Tuanzebe wants to prove himself to Villa fans, and Jose Mourinho – it wouldn’t be the end of the world for the defender to return on loan and potentially partner Chester and Elphick at the back.
Tammy Abraham
What a signing this would be. Tammy is a player who at only 20 years old has already had a season in the Championship – scoring 23 goals in 41 appearances for Bristol City and you can just imagine playing in front of Grealish, Adomah and Green, and alongside Kodjia he could get even more. He would unlikely be fazed by the size of Aston Villa having been around a club like Chelsea, and maybe we can hope that John Terry would have a word in his ear as he clearly enjoyed his time at Villa Park.
Kyle Walker-Peters
This is a player that has not been mentioned to my knowledge, but I would be very excited about getting in this young quality wing-back from Tottenham. Walker-Peters, at twenty-one, is highly rated by Spurs fans, but he is unlikely to get first team opportunities at Spurs with competition from Serge Aurier and Kieran Trippier – especially after his world cup exploits. Walker-Peters has played at left back on numerous occasions for Spurs and would undoubtedly fill a gap left by Neil Taylor at left-back who was found out on many occasions last season. Spurs would probably be happy to contribute to his wages to get him playing time, it also doesn’t hurt that the last time they sent us a right back called Kyle Walker they ended up getting £50m for him!
Jack Rodwell
This will not be a popular opinion simply because Jack Rodwell has done nothing of note since 2012 when he was at Everton. However, Rodwell, 27, is a player who has displayed glimpses of respectable ability over his career indicating he should be a player up to the task of the Championship and at 27, Rodwell is still a player who could sit in Villa’s midfield for the foreseeable future. During the latter stages of last season, we saw some of the older heads starting to fade so it is important to retain a balance of “youth” and experience. Obviously, Jack Rodwell is a free agent and after being relegated with Sunderland last season you wouldn’t imagine he would command massive wages.
