Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has confirmed that midfielder Leander Dendoncker is close to leaving as he is set for an initial loan move to Napoli.
The 28-year-old has played a limited role for us again so far this season, featuring just 15 times across all competitions while totalling only 395 minutes of football.
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As he continues to sit behind the likes of Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn in the pecking order, it’s an expensive depth option to have, especially if he isn’t making more of a consistent impact, albeit it’s fair to argue that we still need that fundamental level of competition and depth to continue our progress this year.
However, Emery and Villa are seemingly content with the idea of allowing Dendoncker to move on, as the Spanish tactician confirmed he’s on the verge of departing this week.
“It’s a difficult transfer period because it’s not easy to get something, taking time, being ready and improving the squad,” he told the media, as per The Athletic. “Like last year, in my opinion, it’s to let some players leave. Last year we did it and this year we are in the same way.
“We have some injuries. Leander more or less is close to leaving. We are analysing deeply until the last moment about how we will finish this season, with the objective we are facing.
“This year we are in Europe and the FA Cup tomorrow. We are going to get someone if we don’t believe they will increase our level.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Belgian international will join Napoli on an initial loan deal, while there will be a €9m option to buy included in the agreement that could be triggered in the summer.
From a Villa perspective, it may well be seen as a sensible decision to offload Dendoncker’s wages for the next six months and potentially pocket a sizeable transfer fee at the end of the season to help reinvest in the squad, while it opens up a space for a talented youngster like Tim Iroegbunam to step up and deliver in his place.
Emery and his staff will undoubtedly have meticulously analysed the situation and squad heading into this month, and so if they feel comfortable with letting Dendoncker leave – and it’s not yet ruled out that we move for a replacement in the coming days – then we’ll hopefully see the benefits of that on and off the pitch.