Having failed to find his footing under either Steven Gerrard or Unai Emery, it looks as though Morgan Sanson may finally end his Aston Villa nightmare.
The Frenchman arrived at Villa Park from Marseille in 2021, but has been unable to make an impact in the West Midlands during his stay, only recently finding game time with a loan move back to his homeland with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, where he excelled.
According to L’Equipe, Strasbourg are hoping to recapture Sanson on a permanent basis. However, Lille appear to be one step ahead in the race for his signature.
Questions remain over what has gone wrong for the 28-year-old at Villa. He arrived with a fantastic track record from his previous spells in France with Montpellier and Marseille, but has managed just 23 appearances for the Villans, scoring once in that time.
He enjoyed quite the opposite fate during his loan spell with Les Coureurs. He grabbed a goal and two assists in his 18 appearances, not only being selected by L’Equipe as one of the best winter window signings, but also being labelled as an indispensable and essential member of their squad following his arrival.
It is possible that Sanson’s pass completion rate and lack of progressive passes do not fit in with Emery’s ideology of what a Villa midfielder must possess. He was in the seventh percentile for passes attempted and the 18th percentile for pass completion rate during his Strasbourg spell.
Is time up for Sanson at Villa?
Sanson is now said to be evaluating the possibility of staying in the French first division, but a possible deal remains far from done at this point.
Lille’s offer of Europa Conference League football may help sway the midfielder’s decision. But Les Dogues are hopeful of another loan deal, only partially paying his wages for the duration, with an option to buy included. It remains to be seen whether or not Villa would accept this type of deal.
Emery’s stance is unclear for now, he may give Sanson one last crack at the Premier League, though it appears increasingly likely that the exit door is the destination.
