EXCLUSIVE: Three Aston Villa players likely to leave Villa park this January after being deemed surplus to requirements as Journalist confirms Villa are looking to have ‘mini clear out’
Aston Villa could undergo a “mini clear out” in the January transfer window to streamline the squad and make room for potential replacements.
Leander Dendoncker, Bertrand Traore, and Calum Chambers could potentially be among the players leaving Aston Villa, Dean Jones revealed.
Unai Emery’s side are interested in signing Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United to strengthen their squad for the title race.
Aston Villa are poised to sanction a host of exits in the January window, though transfer insider Dean Jones, while speaking to GIVEMESPORT, explained why it would be wise for Unai Emery and his entourage to weigh up their options before making any cut-throat decisions.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Villans have found themselves in a genuine title race as we have entered 2024 with them currently sat in second place, three points behind league leaders Liverpool and just two in front of reigning champions Manchester City.
Getting the January transfer window right, in terms of both incomings and outgoings, could be the difference maker if Villa are to send shock waves through the English top flight come May 2024.
The January transfer window marks an important period in their calendar if they are going to continue on their eye-catching trajectory. Those deemed surplus to requirements will likely be allowed to leave the club in January, while getting said players off the books will be crucial for them, too, as it will allow them to have a healthier kitty to play with when scouring the market for potential replacements.
Bertrand Traore, for example, is believed to be on his way out, with Football Insider even suggesting that Emery has ‘green-lit’ his departure with the Burkina Faso international, who cost Villa £19 million back in 2020, contract expiring at the end of the season.
Reliable midfielder Douglas Luiz has long been admired by Arsenal chief Mikel Arteta, but it is now widely understood that the Brazilian is firmly off the list of potential outgoings, with journalist Neil Moxley recently telling GIVEMESPORT that there is ‘no chance’ of him leaving Villa Park in January. Leander Dendoncker, however, could be cutting his Villa Park contract short in January.
The Belgian midfielder, who arrived for £15 million from Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, has played just 114 minutes of football this term and could be joined by Calum Chambers, who, too, has found game time hard to come by in 2023/24. With a plethora of options – Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa – ahead of him in the pecking order, there seems to be no way around his struggles at the club, unfortunately.
Dean Jones on Villa’s January exits
When quizzed whether the likes of Dendoncker, Traore and Chambers could all be on the chopping board, Jones insisted that a ‘mini clear out’ of the Villa roster is imminent, but whether the aforementioned trio will be on their way out of Villa Park is too hard to tell. The transfer insider suggested that Emery will need to streamline his squad to suit his needs, all while ensuring that they have sufficient depth for the second half of the season, especially in the case of an emergency. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said…
“Yeah, I think that they want to have a mini clear out at Villa and I think that they’ve got to make some big decisions over some players that just aren’t going to fit in. At the same time, I don’t think you can get rid of probably all of the players that are on the fringes, because you’re going to need that depth across the second half of the season. So you’ve really got to weigh up who is going to be most useful to you and in case of emergency, but certainly, there’s going to be some exits coming up.”