This week has seen Aston Villa allow Leander Dendoncker to all but confirm a loan move to Napoli. This could end up being a mistake as the season moves on.
The January transfer window appears to have come to life for Aston Villa this week as plenty seems to be happening.
It started with the announcement of the signing of Kosta Nedeljkovic as he moved from Red Star Belgrade. He has now gone back to the Serbian outfit to see out the rest of the season.
The incoming transfer rumours kept coming as the Villans continued to be linked to Middlesbrough talent, Morgan Rogers. This is a signing that has gotten fans excited and looks like it is Unai Emery’s priority signing.
There have been other reports which have broken today which have been in response to the news of an outgoing transfer.
Leander Dendoncker set for Napoli
Today Fabrizio Romano has shared on Twitter that Leander Dendoncker is set to move to Napoli on an initial loan deal.
After six months in Naples, Gli Azzurri have the option to buy the Belgian for around £7.6 million, in the summer window.
This will see Dendoncker depart Conference League football with the Villans in favour of Champions League football with Napoli. In the eyes of the midfielder himself, this move probably makes lots of sense.
It doesn’t seem to make much sense from the point of view of Aston Villa. This is because they seem to be leaving themselves light once again. In a similar fashion, Ashley Young was let go over the summer but no one came in to replace him.
At the moment, Dendoncker is a backup option to Boubacar Kamara who has been sensational for Villa. There isn’t much game time for the Belgian but he certainly has his role.
After a game earlier in the season, Emery spoke up the midfielder to the official Aston Villa website. His manager said: “Dendoncker now we need him. He is playing in an ideal way trying to be. He is very important now. We need players like him with the same idea.”
It is clear from him saying this that he is a useful squad player and is clearly rated by the Spaniard in his abilities.
Other than links to Florian Neuhaus today, there have been very few rumours suggesting a replacement will come in. This is a problem which could become a huge issue as the season continues.
It doesn’t feel very “Villa” for them to let Dendoncker go without a replacement lined up. If they don’t, it would represent a big mistake in this January window.
