Aston Villa have confirmed that midfielder Leander Dendoncker has joined Anderlecht on a season-long loan deal.
The 29-year-old arrived from Wolves in September 2022, but he has played a limited role since, having made just 36 appearances for the club, while his role has become increasingly limited under Unai Emery.
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After spending the second half of last season on loan at Napoli, Villa have now confirmed that he has joined Anderlecht on loan for the rest of this season in his latest short-term departure.
It’s a temporary solution that suits all concerned for now, but the fact that Emery was happy to approve an exit rather than keep the Belgian international as midfield depth tells us a lot, and so it’s ultimately hoped that he impresses in his return to Anderlecht and earns a permanent switch next summer so that we can recoup a decent fee.
Dendoncker still has two years remaining on his current Villa contract, and so that window may be our last opportunity to offload him permanently, before the likelihood of him leaving on a free transfer becomes a more prominent option.
With Boubacar Kamara working his way back from injury and after Villa opted to loan out Enzo Barrenechea to Valencia earlier this week, there was a possibility that he could stay on to give us depth in case of injuries and suspensions.
However, evidently he doesn’t fit what Emery is implementing and building effectively enough, and so it’s in the best interests of all concerned to find a permanent solution next summer, hopefully off the back of a positive spell back in Belgium.
As we’ve seen so far this season, the Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana partnership has been working very efficiently for us in both phases, while Ross Barkley came on and impressed in our win over Leicester City this weekend.
John McGinn is capable of dropping back into the deeper pivot if required, while Kamara is expected to rejoin group training this month.
In turn, Villa do have versatility and depth to compete across multiple fronts, and it’s hoped that we can continue to strengthen and upgrade where possible in the upcoming transfer windows, but it’s imperative that we continue to balance that with outgoings for players who are considered expendable.
