Aston Villa are reportedly finalising a deal to sign goalkeeper Marco Bizot from Brest to bolster our depth in that position ahead of the new season.
After a three-and-a-half-year stint at the club, Robin Olsen departed this summer after his contract expired, and so Villa are in need of addressing that by filling the void the Swedish stalwart has left behind.
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According to The Athletic, Villa are now finalising an agreement to sign Bizot, with the 34-year-old expected to join as back-up to Emiliano Martinez for the time being, with uncertainty remaining over the Argentine shot-stopper’s future given speculation was rife earlier this summer over a potential exit.
As for Bizot though, the experienced goalkeeper initially came through the youth ranks at Ajax before stints at Groningen, Genk, AZ Alkmaar and most recently Brest, who he joined in 2021 and has gone on to make 148 appearances for, 41 of which came last season as he also featured in the Champions League.
In turn, it seems like a sensible addition to strengthen our depth between the posts, and provided that the Dutchman arrives as touted, he’ll hopefully give us a solid and reliable back-up option to step in when needed.
It’s unclear what a potential move would mean for Joe Gauci though, as the Australian ace returned from a loan spell at Barnsley last season perhaps hoping to step up for Villa with a slot opening up after Olsen’s exit, but the addition of Bizot may well relegate him to third choice again, assuming he stays.
Nevertheless, as noted above, clarity is still needed on Martinez’s future as we await his return for pre-season training next week, as given his reaction at the end of our last home game last season coupled with the transfer rumours linking him with an exit in recent weeks, there was an expectation that he might move on, but no tangible offers have seemingly been received by the club.
While it’s hoped that an exit doesn’t materialise, Villa may well be back in the market for another goalkeeper this summer if he does depart, but if we can wrap up a deal for Bizot, that would certainly strengthen our options and give us depth to cope with injuries and the need to rotate next season as we’ll compete across multiple fronts once again.
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