It’s fair to say that things haven’t gone to plan for Morgan Sanson since he joined Aston Villa, and the latest hint from the club would suggest his time is now up.
The 28-year-old arrived from Marseille in January 2021 with high expectations, as it was hoped that we had identified a player capable of being a pillar of our midfield for years.
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However, it didn’t take long for things to unravel and become difficult for the Frenchman, as ongoing injury problems severely limited his ability to make his mark and establish himself in the Villa XI.
Despite being on our books for two-and-a-half years now, Sanson has made just 23 appearances for the club, while he was shipped out on loan to Strasbourg in January as Unai Emery conceded that although he liked his characteristics, he needed to play after so long on the sidelines without regular football.
“(Morgan) Sanson as well is in the possibility to leave, but Sanson for me is a very good player,” Emery said in his pre-Southampton press conference in January. “He understands very good how we want to play and he has the skill to do it. But he has to play in a team to be consistent, trying to play more and here it’s difficult to give him it – he is as well finding something to leave.”
Sanson finally built some momentum in the second half of last season, scoring once and providing two assists in 18 appearances for Strasbourg as he played a key role in keeping them in Ligue 1.
Having scored his first goal for the club under Emery and with the Spaniard’s comments above in mind coupled with our desire to compete across multiple fronts next season after limited games last year, there was arguably an outside chance of seeing Sanson return to play a part for us as he still has two years remaining on his contract.
Time will tell if Emery is still open to that idea this summer, however, the French midfielder is now without a squad number as things stand after Villa confirmed that new signing Youri Tielemans will wear the No.8 shirt, as per their Instagram post, while speculation continues to link Sanson with a departure this summer back to Strasbourg.
According to L’Equipe, as reported by BirminghamLive, it’s claimed that their new boss, Patrick Vieira, is keen to bring Sanson back on a permanent basis, and they’re willing to make him their highest-paid player to ensure it materialises.
That said, a fundamental issue is likely to emerge as a stumbling block, as it’s suggested that the French outfit won’t be able to splash out a significant transfer fee to prise him away, and so it would be questionable from a Villa perspective to green light another loan deal or cut our losses and let Sanson move on for next to nothing.
Sales and subsequent transfer fees will be crucial this summer to help balance our books and facilitate our own spending, and so ideally with several individuals arguably now considered surplus to requirements including Sanson, Marvelous Nakamba, Kortney Hause, Wesley and Keinan Davis, we have to be better at bringing in decent fees on outgoings.
Off the back of his spell at Strasbourg, and given his age and ability if he can stay healthy, there is surely a market for Sanson this summer if we decide to sell and try to cash in, and with all signs continuing to point towards a splitting of ways, it’s hoped that despite the disappointment and frustration over his time with us, it’s a solution that suits all parties.
