Aston Villa made a huge mistake in what was placed in the contract of Morgan Sanson’s loan agreement.
There have been very few failures in claret and blue since NSWE tookover the club in July 2018, but Morgan Sanson is unfortunately one of the players on that list.
After spending four successful years at Marseille, scoring 25 goals and supplying 22 assists from midfield, Aston Villa snapped him up for £15m in January 2022.
Known for his venomous strike from range and an eye for a pass, Villa thought they were getting a midfield metronome, who could deliver magic from the edge of the box.
Unfortunately, three years and 23 appearances later, Sanson hasn’t come close to hitting the heights that his Ligue 1 days promised.
While a lot of that boils down to factors out of his control – like managerial changes and injuries – the 29-year-old failed to make an impression on Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery at Villa.
In search of regular first-team football, Sanson spent the second of last season on loan at Strasbourg before joining OGC Nice this term.
A loan away from the club was ultimately the correct decision, but there was one mistake that the hierarchy made in his agreement with Nice.
What is the clause in Morgan Sanson’s Nice contract?
Sanson’s loan move to Nice is almost certainly going to be made permanent at the end of the season, according to L’Equipe.
Not only has he quickly established himself in Francesco Fariolo’s side, but he has also expressed his desire to remain at the club beyond this campaign.
In an interview about whether he’d want to stay, he said: “Yes, of course [I want to stay]. Florent Ghisolfi has said the same thing that he wants me involved in the project for the long term.”
It is now looking extremely likely that his wish will become a reality. The report has revealed the conditions that will see Sanson’s move to Les Agiens become a permanent one. For the €4 million (£3.4 million) purchase option to be triggered, Sanson must start 17 league games and Nice must finish eighth or above in the table.
The Frenchman only needs to make two more starts to trigger the first condition while Farioli’s side are second in Ligue 1, 11th points above Sanson’s former club Sanson.
Aston Villa have made a mistake
While Villa look set to lose out financially after buying the midfielder for £15 million, the 29-year-old is an upgrade on who they currently have in reserve.
In the absence of Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara, Belgian Leander Dendoncker has had to fill in and although he hasn’t done much wrong, Sanson is still in an upgrade on him.
According to FBref, the midfielder’s attributes have flourished at Nice, ranking in the top 8% across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries, top 19% for successful take-ons and top 11% for total shots per 90.
Indeed, he beats Dendoncker in every single department when it comes to his ball-playing attributes.
To let a player of his quality depart for such a low fee of £3.4 million would be a travesty and unless there’s a miraculous turn of events, Villa have to face up to the consequences of losing him.
