Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Modou Keba Cisse from LASK on a pre-contract agreement, while he will return to the Austrian side on loan this season.
The 19-year-old joined LASK in January after coming through the youth ranks at Real Avila, and he has since gone on to make 15 appearances for them at senior level.
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Despite his inexperience and lack of playing time at a higher level, Villa have evidently seen enough talent and potential in him to warrant making a move, as the club have officially announced his signing from LASK on a pre-contract agreement, while he will return to Austria for the upcoming campaign on loan.
It’s a sensible strategy given that it will give him the opportunity to continue to play regularly, while he should feel settled immediately in surroundings that he’s familiar with to continue his improvement and development.
It will certainly be interesting to see what follows next summer though, as we’ve now seen Villa make a number of signings of talented youngsters including Zepiqueno Redmond and Yasin Ozcan this year, but coupled with our own Academy products, not many are making it to the first-team squad under Unai Emery.
Instead, they’re being sold on for a profit to balance our books and fund our own moves, and so time will tell if there is a similar plan in place for Cisse, or if he’s capable of making a sufficiently positive impression to force his way into our plans at senior level.
Cisse is a natural centre-half with the ability to play in a defensive midfield role, and so with the likes of Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and the expectation of a new signing arriving this summer to bolster that department further, the smart decision was to send him out on loan to play regularly and gain valuable experience, and it’s hoped that he returns to Villa a much-improved player next summer.
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