Aston Villa are reportedly in advanced talks with Anderlecht over a potential loan move for defender Yasin Ozcan.
The 19-year-old arrived from Kasimpasa this summer having signed a pre-contract agreement with us earlier in the year, and he has featured for Unai Emery in our pre-season schedule so far this summer.
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Ozcan looks a top talent with a bright future ahead of him, but at this stage of his career, he’ll need to play regularly to continue to improve, develop and mature into a player capable of establishing himself as a key figure in Emery’s long-term plans.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, Anderlecht are in advanced talks with Villa over a loan move for the Turkish defender, and it sounds as though an agreement could be close.
With Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings ahead of him in the pecking order for the left-sided centre-half role, and with Ian Maatsen and Lucas Digne pushing him down the list for the left-back spot, Ozcan is going to find playing time hard to come by at Villa this season at senior level, and that could risk stunting his development.
In turn, a loan move does make sense as he’ll hope to play consistently and return to Villa an improved player next summer, and if it is to be Anderlecht, it’s hoped that the Belgian side prove to be an ideal landing spot for Ozcan to showcase his talent and take his game to the next level.
That said, it’s certainly hoped that this doesn’t mean he’ll follow a familiar path for many of our top young prospects in recent times, with a loan move elsewhere often the first step towards eventually leaving on a permanent basis.
Villa have identified a number of top talents and made intriguing signings over the past year or two, and it’s always preferred if they’re able to make a breakthrough and establish themselves under Emery, rather than ultimately emerging as a financial boost when we sell them on for a profit.
While Emery will get as much as possible out of those at his disposal, we need to strengthen the squad for the short-term and long-term future, and hopefully Ozcan fits into the strategy for the latter if he does indeed move out on loan this season.
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