Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba is having a medical this morning ahead of a loan move to Luton Town.
The 29-year-old has yet to feature for us so far this season as he has fallen down the pecking order and is unlikely to force his way into Unai Emery’s plans any time soon.
READ MORE: Villa confirm loan spell ended early as exit announced
Speaking earlier this month, the Villa boss opened the door for Nakamba to move on in January, and with Morgan Sanson having already secured a loan exit, there is a possibility that Villa could look to now fill that void in midfield.
“Nakamba and Sanson have the possibility to leave,” Emery said in his pre-Southampton press conference. “If they leave, the idea is to maybe add one more player as a midfielder.”
According to The Telegraph’s John Percy, Nakamba is having a medical at Luton on Tuesday morning and is expected to join the Championship side on loan for the rest of the season.
It’s hoped that there is at least an option to buy included in the agreement to make it a permanent switch potentially, as ultimately this is a short-term fix to shift a player deemed surplus to requirements.
While Villa have brought in Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran so far this month, we’ve let a number of players leave too and so there is a concern that we’re leaving ourselves light on depth and competition in the coming months as we chase a possible European qualification spot following our impressive form since Emery took charge.
Nevertheless, there is obviously a desire from the Villa boss to trim the squad and move on players that don’t fit into his plans moving forward, and so it remains to be seen if his preferred targets can be brought in before the Tuesday transfer deadline or if he waits until the summer.
Emery has stressed consistently since his arrival that he only wants to sign players who significantly improve his Villa squad, and so there is trust in his judgement and strategy and there is little argument in moving a player on, albeit temporarily, who hasn’t played a single minute so far this season.
Should it go through, the Nakamba loan deal would make sense for all concerned as he possibly gets a bigger role, Luton get a key reinforcement and Villa move towards shifting him permanently if he impresses. Time will tell though if there is more activity to come on Deadline Day, particularly in terms of incomings.
