France's Matteo Guendouzi reacts
Journalist Dan Bardell has revealed that he expects Aston Villa to lodge a bid imminently for top target Matteo Guendouzi.
The Lowdown: Emery looking for more signings
Villa and Unai Emery made the interesting decision to let top scorer Danny Ings depart mid-season without seemingly having anyone lined up to replace him.
Indeed, they don’t appear eager to find a replacement, with the next target set to be a midfielder according to Bardell, who believes Guendouzi could soon become the subject of an official bid.
Guendouzi has been hotly tipped to make a reunion with Emery, who signed him for Arsenal a few years ago – and it would make a lot of sense given how highly the midfielder has spoken of the Spanish manager in the past, labelling him as ‘unique‘.
The Latest: Guendouzi could return to the Premier League
Bardell dropped the exciting claim live on Sky Sports as NSWE look to back Emery once more by flexing their financial muscles in trying to land Guendouzi.
He said: “There currently has been no bid from Villa, but there is a strong interest there and from the French side. From my understanding, it sounds like Marseille have a suspicion that a bid is coming.
“So hopefully over the next few days – because I know Villa fans are keen for this one – there’ll be that concrete offer from Villa, because he’s a player that’s worked with Emery before. You get the sense now that Emery’s very much in charge of everything at Villa now, he has the final say on everything, he’s in control, and Guendouzi’s someone who would fit in very nicely into that hybrid wide/central midfielder role.”
The Verdict: Would be another sign of faith in Emery
If NSWE were to hand Guendouzi to Emery, it would be a major sign of trust in the manager. However, Guendouzi was never the most-liked person in England given his poor temperament, which was apparent on occasions with Arsenal.
With Morgan Sanson leaving the club on loan, it would make sense for Villa to recruit another midfielder, and bringing in a current France international would be arguably be seen as a big upgrade, especially given Guendouzi’s age profile as well.
Villa have not been shy in splashing the cash since returning to the Premier League a few years ago, although nothing has come of that money with nothing more than relegation battles and mid-table mediocrity being the fruits of their labour – and Emery will be hoping to change that.
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