Aston Villa trio Mohamed Kone, Kadan Young and Zepiqueno Redmond are reportedly all set to join FC Annecy on loan for next season.
The Ligue 2 side are part of the multi-club network that our ownership and hierarchy have worked on putting in place, and so there is a strong relationship between the two clubs already with talented right-back Triston Rowe spending last season with Annecy.
It appears as though Villa will look to repeat that strategy of giving talented youngsters more experience and playing time in France, as The Athletic report that Kone, Young and Redmond could all make the temporary move this summer.
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!
It seems like a sensible move from Villa as it will allow the trio to compete at a higher level as seniors, and that experience to aid their development could either ultimately lead to a breakthrough under Unai Emery or a move elsewhere.
Redmond was blighted by injury troubles last year and so he’ll be itching to play regularly and showcase his talent in the upcoming campaign, while Kone impressed at youth level and Young has been pushing for more involvement since Emery arrived but hasn’t been able to emerge as a consistent option in the first-team squad.
In turn, should the deals go through as touted in the report above, it will hopefully prove to be a smart decision for all concerned, and as noted above, if it doesn’t eventually lead to carving a role out at Villa, it’s undoubtedly an opportunity to put themselves in the shop window to secure a bigger move next year.
Villa are still having to balance the books and so sales of top youngsters at the club will certainly help with that, but for now, it’s hoped that this triple loan switch is beneficial for the players involved to help them build on their progression up to this point.
