Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Lewis Dobbin from Everton following the departure of Tim Iroegbunam in the opposite direction.
With both clubs currently having to consider PSR concerns, the sale of Academy products will no doubt help balance the books before the end of June and give us more financial flexibility for the rest of the summer transfer window.
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Villa announced the exit of Iroegbunam this weekend in a move to Goodison Park for around £9m, and after much speculation, Dobbin has now completed his switch to join us.
As per the club’s official statement, Villa have confirmed the 21-year-old’s arrival, but have offered little more in the way of details of the deal or contract.
According to The Times reporter Paul Joyce though, Villa have paid a fee of around £10m, and so it’s a significant investment to hopefully bolster Unai Emery’s attacking options and give him additional competition and depth in that area of the squad.
Dobbin made 15 appearances at senior level for Everton last season, scoring his first Premier League goal for the club, while he previously had a loan spell at Derby County where he bagged five goals and six assists in 54 appearances.
Given the development and improvement we’ve seen with so many players at Villa in the current squad since Emery arrived, it’s hoped that he’s able to similarly flourish under the guidance of the Villa boss and play a key role when needed next season and beyond.
As we saw last season, we eventually struggled in the latter stages of the campaign due to injuries and fatigue, and so it’s undoubtedly imperative that we address that this summer and add quality to the squad.
While Dobbin still has a lot to prove and will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to do that at Villa, time will tell just how many opportunities he’ll get next season and what he can do when called upon. Looking at the bigger picture though, it’s part of an important strategy this summer for Villa both on and off the pitch to ensure we can be as competitive as possible.
