Aston Villa are reportedly set to agree to end Ludwig Augustinsson’s loan deal early as he’s expected to leave and join Mallorca this month.
The 28-year-old joined us on a season-long loan deal from Sevilla last summer, but after Unai Emery replaced former boss Steven Gerrard in October, he has struggled for playing time, particularly in the Premier League.
Having managed just 30 minutes of football in the league under the Spaniard, with Emery even publicly revealing that he expects the Swedish international to move on this month, it was on the cards that an exit would be agreed before the transfer deadline.
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“I spoke with Augustinsson, and after we signed Alex Moreno, I want two players in this position and it’s Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne,” Emery told the media at his pre-Southampton press conference. “He [Augustinsson] is still here but I think in his mind as well is to leave.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, the loan deal is expected to now be terminated as Augustinsson will join Mallorca on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
Ultimately, with Moreno impressing in his first two appearances for Villa, coupled with Digne returning to group training this week as he ended any concern that he had suffered a long-term injury after being forced off against Leeds Utd, Augustinsson has slipped further down the pecking order and his involvement is likely to be very limited moving forward.
In turn, it makes sense to end his loan spell now and move him off the books, as Emery also has the option of playing Ashley Young over on the left side if needed too.
It’s another exit for Villa though as the squad continues to shrink, with Danny Ings, Frederic Guilbert, Morgan Sanson, Cameron Archer and Jan Bednarek all exiting this month in a mix of loans, permanent deals and a recall.
Having signed Moreno and Jhon Duran thus far, time will tell if Villa are able to bring in the reinforcements that Emery is prioritising, as although he will no doubt continue to help the current XI improve and get positive results, with the exits stacking up, we look to be lacking all-important depth and competition in key positions.
Augustinsson though was surplus to requirements anyway, and an exit makes sense for all parties concerned as we streamline our squad, the Swede gets a chance of landing a bigger role and Mallorca get a key addition to their squad.