Aston Villa have confirmed that Morgan Sanson has left the club on a permanent basis to join Nice after his initial loan move.
The 29-year-old joined us from Marseille in January 2021, but injury woes and competition for places limited him to just 23 appearances for the club.
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After a loan spell at Strasbourg last season, it had been hoped that he might get a fresh opportunity under Unai Emery, but after being shipped on loan to Nice last summer, it was clear that his time with Villa was coming to a close at some point.
As per the club’s statement, Sanson has now completed a permanent switch to Nice having impressed for the Ligue 1 outfit this season, and ultimately it’s a move that makes sense for all parties.
The Frenchman gets the chance to continue to play regularly and showcase his ability, Nice secure his longer-term future having established himself as a key figure, while Villa collect a transfer fee, move his wages off the books and make space in the squad to bring in a signing that better suits Emery’s ideas.
Particularly now with Champions League football secured for next season, it will be an important summer for Villa in terms of strengthening the squad and ensuring we’re capable of competing amongst Europe’s elite, while sustaining and building on our progress domestically.
Emery and the management team may look to offload players deemed surplus to requirements where possible first to create financial flexibility and space for them to operate in the market to bring in signings of our own, and so Sanson is likely to be the first of a few to move on this summer.
Nevertheless, it’s a shame that it never worked out for the French midfielder given the optimism around his signing and the talent that he displayed at times, and so we wish him well for the future.