Clement Lenglet leaving Aston Villa could allow Emery to 'grow his team'

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·20 December 2023

Clement Lenglet leaving Aston Villa could allow Emery to 'grow his team'

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery might sanction the termination of Clement Lenglet’s loan as it could allow him to “continue to grow his team”, as transfer insider Dean Jones considers the centre-back’s future at GIVEMESPORT.

The Villans have enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign and have secured their progression to the last-16 of the Europa Conference League after topping their group.

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Emery has his Villa side firmly challenging for a spot in the 2024/25 Champions League, with the club currently in the thick of a top-flight title race. However, Lenglet has found gametime hard to come by in the Premier League and may have hoped to have been a more prominent feature in the Villans’ successful campaign.

Aston Villa had looked unlikely to be interested in securing a season-long loan deal for Lenglet in pre-season, having had Diego Carlos, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres as their options in the backline. However, the Villans’ transfer plans were altered when Mings suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury in the club’s 5-1 defeat at Newcastle United on the Premier League’s opening weekend.

Balancing continental and Premier League football ensured that Emery would need the insurance of another centre-back in his backline. On the morning of the 2023 summer transfer window’s Deadline Day, Villa confirmed the signing of Barcelona centre-back Lenglet on a season-long loan. The Frenchman spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur but struggled to make an impact on Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini, and then Ryan Mason’s side.

However, Lenglet has barely featured for the Villans during the 2023/24 campaign and has yet to make his Premier League debut for Emery’s side. The former France international’s appearances have been restricted to the Europa Conference League. With Villa on a break from continental football until March, Lenglet could find chances to impress thin on the ground.

According to Football Insider, Barcelona could terminate Lenglet’s loan at Villa Park. The Catalan giants would then look to sell the centre-back permanently, with AC Milan reportedly interested in his signature. In October, Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley told GIVEMESPORT that he didn’t believe it was wise for Villa to sign Lenglet owing to his excessive wages, reportedly worth £150,000 per week.

Dean Jones transfer update on Clement Lenglet

Jones believes that Lenglet could still be a valuable option for Emery but hints that the Spanish head coach may be looking towards the longer term. The transfer insider wants to see how the Villa boss would react to the Barcelona man’s potential departure. Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“One reason to believe it might happen is that it allows Emery to continue to grow his team. Lenglet might be more of a buffer for helping them reach the level they've reached and a security blanket, if you like, for if things had gone badly wrong in the defence. If they were in an emergency, he’d be a trusted head. “I think he could still be helpful, but I also think Emery might be beginning to look towards the longer term now and thinking of players he might want to get in that could have more of an influence over how he can progress this team. It’d be interesting to see if a club like AC Milan was to come in with a firm offer to try and land Lenglet because I want to see how Emery reacts to news like that.”

Aston Villa transfer update on Douglas Luiz’s future

Emery will now be preparing for the opening of the 2024 winter transfer window on 1st January, hoping to bolster his squad to ensure they remain within contention to qualify for the 2024/25 Champions League.

According to Football Insider editor Wayne Veysey, speaking on The Inside Track podcast, Arsenal have prioritised the signing of Douglas Luiz in January and next summer, but a move is far from done. Meanwhile, the same outlet reports that Manchester City are interested in a deal to re-sign their former midfielder.

Villa are expected to reject any offers they receive for Luiz midway through the campaign, given their current positioning in the Premier League’s top four. Arsenal hope to add some quality to their defensive midfield ranks, whilst Manchester City will look to improve their depth if Kalvin Phillips is sold in 2024.

The Villans are back in Premier League action on 22nd December, when they host relegation-threatened Sheffield United at Villa Park, hoping to make it 16 consecutive home league victories. Villa then travel to Manchester United on Boxing Day before Burnley make the trip to the West Midlands on 30th December, as Emery’s side close out a successful 2023.