Unai Emery could sign an ‘exceptional’ player to upgrade on a ‘popular’ Aston Villa duo this summer.
Aston Villa‘s primary focus currently is departures, with an injection of cash needed to ensure compliance with Premier League PSR ahead of the June 30th deadline.
Once that date has passed Unai Emery and president of footballing operations Monchi can focus on what players they can bring in to get the squad ready for the Champions League.
Emery is a meticulous planner and will already know the areas of his side that need strengthening this summer, with full-back high on the list.
The Spanish manager could address the left-back position with a move for a player who has just been involved in the Champions League final.
Aston Villa must sign Ian Maatsen to upgrade left-back position
Villa currently have both Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno as senior left-backs at the club.
However, both players will be 31 come the start of the season and Moreno spent long periods of last season on the treatment table.
Digne is one of the club’s highest earners on £120k-a-week, so Villa may deem one or both of their current full-backs as players they could consider replacing.
Recent reports suggest that is the case, with an enquiry having been made for Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen.
Maatsen was a key part of the Burnley side that won the Championship in the 2022/23 season on loan from Chelsea but decided to stay and fight for his place at the Stamford Bridge club last summer rather than move permanently.
With opportunities difficult to come by, the 22-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and impressed as his temporary club went all the way to the Champions League final before losing to Real Madrid.
Maatsen has real quality and is a typical modern full-back in the way he gets forward at will; the fact he can also play as a winger or attacking midfielder making him a real asset.
Despite being just 22, Maatsen has already amassed 116 senior appearances across spells at Dortmund, Burnley, Coventry City, Charlton Athletic and parent club Chelsea.
In his time at Coventry, goalkeeper Simon Moore was full of praise for the Dutchman as he said: “It says a lot about how good he is that even a slightly off day stands out as exceptional. It is not normal.”
“The kid is bright, he’s hugely talented, he wants to learn, and he never gives up.”
Maatsen would replace ‘popular’ Aston Villa figure
It is highly unlikely that Villa will sign Maatsen without first offloading one of Digne or Moreno.
With a £35 million release clause in his Chelsea contract, Villa arguably could be better served spending this money on other areas of the squad.
However, in Maatsen they could sign a left-back who is only going to get better and could light up Villa Park for years to come.
Both Digne and Moreno are very popular among the Villa players and their exits would have an impact on the dressing room, with reports that they are ‘highly popular’ at the club and ‘want to stay at Villa.’
That being said, there is no room for sentiment as Emery looks to continue the club’s meteoric rise next season and Maatsen could help elevate them to the next level ahead of the Champions League.
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