Aston Villa have confirmed that Finn Azaz has left the club to join Middlesbrough on a permanent basis, while Ben Chrisene has been loaned out to Blackburn Rovers.
Villa were expected to be active in the January transfer window, both in trying to bring in reinforcements that strengthen Unai Emery’s squad, but also through outgoings for players deemed dispensable.
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That process has started with some of our younger prospects this week, as the club have confirmed that Azaz has left to join Middlesbrough in a permanent move, with a fee of £2.5m being touted by the Athletic.
The switch comes off the back of an impressive loan stint for the 23-year-old at Plymouth where he’s scored seven goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances in the Championship so far this season, and he’ll hope to build on that now with long-term assurance over his future.
After prising him away from West Brom in 2021, it’s a decent enough fee from a Villa perspective to make a profit on Azaz, as although he does look a talent, it’s ultimately hard to see a path that leads to a settled role in the first team under Emery.
In turn, it’s another significant fee for a youth product that the club has secured, and it’s likely that it will be part of an important overall strategy to keep balancing our books.
Meanwhile, as per the club’s statement, Villa have also sent Chrisene out on loan for the rest of the season, as he’ll spend the second half of the campaign at Blackburn.
Rovers are in a difficult spell currently but remain a safe enough distance away from the relegation zone in the Championship, and so it will hopefully be an important and valuable experience for Chrisene in the coming months.
At this stage of the 19-year-old’s career, he needs a prominent and consistent role at a higher level to help with his improvement and development, and so that will hopefully be the case at Ewood Park as he looks to help them achieve their objectives this season.
Time will tell if more follow in leaving Villa this month, but if the deal makes sense for us and Emery believes that it is the right way to go, along with our management staff, we’ll hopefully be able to come out of the January transfer window in a stronger position to compete both in the short-term and long-term future.