Tim Iroegbunham has confirmed his exit from Aston Villa as he completes a transfer to Everton, and his Villa teammates have posted their reactions.
Aston Villa’s rapid start to the summer transfer window has seen them make use of cross-player transactions to alleviate the stresses of Profit & Sustainability (PSR) rules.
It was kickstarted by Douglas Luiz’s proposed move to Juventus, with Unai Emery receiving Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenchea in return.
The Villans are also in a trade-off with Chelsea, as while their £37.5 million transfer for left-back Ian Maatsen isn’t part of Jhon Duran’s move to Stamford Bridge, the 20-year-old is destined to go in the other direction.
Their business doesn’t stop there, though, with academy graduate Tim Iroegbunham completing a £9 million move to Everton while promising forward Lewis Dobbin will arrive from Merseyside.
Iroegbunham is a player they’d have likely kept if there wasn’t pressure to sell due to FFP however, it was difficult to see him earn regular opportunities in the first-team.
Aston Villa stars react to Tim Iroegbunham’s farewell message on Instagram
Iroegbunham played just 158 minutes of Premier League football under Emery last term after spending the 2022/23 campaign on loan at QPR.
The Spaniard rated the young defensive midfielder highly and in January, he said: “I decided to let Dendoncker leave and to keep Tim. I am going to work on giving him chances to progress in how we are trying to build. When I watched him on loan and now training every day, I believe in his potential.”
Unfortunately, Emery’s belief in his potential wasn’t reflected in his opportunities in the side and after confirming his exit on Instagram, the 20-year-old penned a farewell message.
Many Villa players have rushed to respond to his post, including right-back Matty Cash, who said: “😢 what a player.”
Meanwhile, captain John McGinn had a rather interesting nickname for the youngster, saying: “All the best the octopus.”
Emi Buendia – who is currently battling back from a long-term injury – left a heartwarming message: “All the best Tim, keep working hard 💪🏼 You have big future ahead 🫶🏼,” while record-signing Moussa Diaby posted: “❤️❤️❤️ See you bro.”
Tim Iroegbunham made the right decision leaving Aston Villa
Iroegbunham is a promising young player but ultimately, isn’t going to get regular minutes in a side that is chasing Europe and will be playing in the Champions League.
The England under-20 international deserves to be playing regular football elsewhere, and although that wasn’t guaranteed at Villa, he has a far better chance of becoming a regular at Everton.
There will be many people at the club who will feel sad they were denied the opportunity of watching the Englishman fulfil his potential, though it was the right decision from Iroegbunham to jump ship.
For the sake of his career, a young player needs to be playing regular senior football, something that isn’t guaranteed at Villa Park.
Ultimately, the Villans have evolved under Emery on and off the pitch, and that means the level of players they’re signing has increased dramatically. It means for individuals like Iroegbunham, leaving for pastures new is the best option.
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