Aston Villa have unveiled Lewis Dobbin as the club’s first summer signing as the Everton starlet prepares to show his worth in Unai Emery’s side.
After increased speculation surrounding transfer activity, Aston Villa announced their first signing of the summer window on Sunday afternoon.
Unai Emery and Monchi secured the talent of Everton starlet Lewis Dobbin for a fee in the region of £10m, with Tim Iroegbunam going the opposite way in a separate deal days prior.
The Villans lured the 21-year-old away from the Toffees, whom he had represented from the age of 11, where he rose through the ranks to make a senior breakthrough last term.
Lewis Dobbin was praised by Rafa Benitez during his time at Everton
After excelling in Everton’s academy, Dobbin was handed his Premier League debut in 2021 by former Toffees boss Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard, who won the Champions League with Liverpool, had great faith in Villa’s new signing, whom he praised during his short stint at Goodison Park.
Speaking to Everton TV, Benitez lauded Dobbin’s ‘pace and ability’ when reviewing him in training sessions after his Premier League debut.
“We are really pleased to see him [Dobbin] doing well in the training sessions, he is very bright and has the pace and ability.”
It wasn’t the only time that the former Everton boss praised Dobbin, as Benitez also commended the Villa arrival’s commitment to training, as relayed by the Liverpool Echo.
“He’s someone that, when he’s training with us, he shows the desire and commitment. These players have to be seen.
“Sometimes you have a player in a training session and you don’t appreciate anything, maybe he has nothing sometimes or maybe he doesn’t have the desire.
“Dobbin is someone that you notice he’s there when he’s training.”
Unai Emery can get the best out of Dobbin at Aston Villa
The 2023/24 campaign was a memorable one for Dobbin, who netted his first Premier League goal for Everton, as well as securing his full debut in the top flight.
There will be some reservations over the excitement that the transfer will generate however, Villa fans only have to look at Morgan Rogers to consider what Emery can do with upcoming talent.
Rogers has a similar profile to Dobbin, being deployable in several areas in attack, and thrived after arriving at Villa Park in January.
It will be interesting to see how the former Everton ace progresses at Villa, in what is an exciting time to be a part of the club.
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