“Personally, I’d drive him to Villa Park tomorrow if Unai Emery fancies it, I’ve been really impressed by his performances”- Stan Collymore urges Aston Villa & Unai Emery to sign versatile Luton star
Relegation does not have to mean that you won’t be plying your trade in the Premier League next season. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans secured moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa after Leicester City’s shock demotion last term, after all.
So even if Rob Edwards’ valiant Luton Town do end up heading back to the Championship, who would really be surprised to see Teden Mengi – the defender let go by Manchester United last summer – gracing the top-flight again in 2024/25.
Mengi, alongside Carlton Morris, Elijah Adebayo, Chiedozie Ogbene and the talismanic Ross Barkley, is a big reason why Luton – perhaps one of the least-fancied clubs in modern Premier League history – are still in with a very real shot at survival in mid-April, albeit aided of course by the points deductions suffered by Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Still only 21, Mengi was regarded very highly behind the scenes at Carrington before injuries impacted his progress. And you can see why.
Putting those fitness issues behind him, Mengi has taken to the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water.
Stan Collymore, the former England Under 21 international, cannot speak highly enough of Mengi. So much so that, should Aston Villa find themselves in the market for a right-back who can also seemlesly slot in at centre-half this summer, Collymore would happily recommend the Manchester-born stopper to Unai Emery’s Champions League-chasing team.
“I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that he has all of the background, the ambition to leave United at 21 to go it alone,” Collymore, who spent three years at Villa Park between 1997 and 2000, tells Caught Offside.
“I’ve been really impressed by his performances and I’m sure he’ll be on several ‘big clubs’ radars. He’s played for England at every age level so will have had an A+ club and international grounding.
“Personally, I’d drive him to Villa Park tomorrow if Unai Emery fancies it.”
