Aston Villa have reportedly agreed a deal with Southampton for the sale of forward Lewis Dobbin said to be worth £9m plus add-ons.
The 23-year-old joined us from Everton in 2024 but he was unable to make a breakthrough under Unai Emery as he looks set to leave without making an appearance for the senior side.
Instead, Dobbin had loan spells at West Brom, Norwich and Preston over the past two seasons, and it was at the latter where he started to show his quality with 11 goals and eight assists in 41 appearances.
Subscribe to Talk Villa+ below for ad-free weekly newsletters, exclusive articles and much more sent directly to you. The TalkVilla podcast is also now available, have a listen, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. UTV!
That form looks as though it has earned him a permanent move elsewhere now, as The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell reports that Southampton and Villa have agreed a deal worth £9m plus add-ons for Dobbin to make the switch to the Saints this summer.
It’s added that he will undergo his medical on Monday and finalise his switch, and ultimately it has to be said that it’s a move that works out for all concerned.
Southampton bolster their attack with a talented player ready to take on a more prominent role and showcase his quality, Dobbin will get regular playing time and be able to kick on in his career, while Villa secure a great fee to help balance our books, reduce our wage bill and hopefully go towards funds to spend on our own signings this summer.
We’ve already seen Donyell Malen, Enzo Barrenechea, Sil Swinkels, Louie Barry and others depart, while Harvey Elliott, Douglas Luiz and Jadon Sancho have moved on after their loan stints last season.
In turn, that’s hopefully made a significant impression on our financial position already to give us some flexibility to go and bring in reinforcements for Emery, and selling Dobbin on a permanent basis now rather than find another loan for him will undoubtedly help us further.
It certainly feels as though we’re now building towards making key signings, the first of which could be Johan Manzambi, with Fabrizio Romano now reporting that agreements are in place with the club and player over a €60m+ transfer.
Time will tell if it still requires sales on our side to balance our spending, but Villa are making some sensible moves thus far for both the club and the players in question, and it’s hoped that we can continue to strengthen.
