Aston Villa boss Dean Smith must avoid selling Morgan Sanson this summer as fresh transfer reports emerge over his potential exit.
What's the story?
It's been a rather frustrating first few months in English football for the January signing, making just nine appearances in the Premier League and that too only totalling 291 minutes worth of football.
Reports in recent days have suggested that Smith isn't convinced by his midfield options, and that amid a potential move for Southampton and England star James Ward-Prowse, Villa are unimpressed by what Sanson has shown thus far.
And now, former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has said: "I don’t see why they wouldn’t sell him if he’s not producing. It’s only six months and sometimes you’ve got to give players a little bit more time. Not everyone settles well in this country.
"But if they are interested in a couple more midfielders then that could be a sign. There’s no shame in cutting your losses and moving on. People make mistakes. You’re never going to get every signing spot-on."
Fans would be fuming
Speaking after his signing back in the January transfer window, Smith waxed lyrical about the kind of qualities the Frenchman could bring, saying: "He has got a big game mentality, he has played at the top of the French league for the last five years, played in the Champions League.
"He is a great technician and has great tactical awareness. He can play in a number of positions, can set up goals and can score goals. He has a bit of everything in his game so we’re really pleased with the acquisition."
Dubbed as a "
warrior" by himself, the
£17m-rated Sanson showed his qualities as a really effective box-to-box presence in his time at Marseille.
Before his move to the Midlands, he
averaged an impressive 1.8 tackles and 1.1 key passes per game in Ligue 1, both of which ranked him favourably compared to the rest of Villa's squad. In fact, only two other players have
averaged more tackles per match than him, while again, only three other have averaged more key passes too.
Given that he only arrived in January, and had his fair share of injury issues too, there's no questioning that Villa fans and Smith have yet to see the best of Sanson.
It would be a ridiculous decision for the Midlands club to sell him so soon after his arrival, and without having first properly given him a chance to shine.
It would be an admittance that they got it completely wrong in the transfer market back in January, and would be a very hasty mistake. Villa fans would surely be fuming at the club cashing in this summer without giving the player a real chance to prove himself.
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It would be an unforgivable disaster from the club to make such a decision so soon into Sanson's Villa career.
Meanwhile, David Ornstein has dropped an exciting Aston Villa transfer update...
