View: Aston Villa warn off suitors by rewarding Matty Cash with new contract
There’s been plenty of interest, but Matty Cash is at Aston Villa to stay after signing a new five-year deal with the club.
The now Poland international has been a magnificent signing for the Villans since arriving from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth up to £16million.
Now the undisputed first-choice right-back at the club, he has gone from strength to strength under both Dean Smith and more recently Stever Gerrard.
That excellent form saw him linked with a potential January transfer to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, who were looking to replace Kieran Trippier after they sold him to Newcastle [Fabrizio Romano].
Reports suggested that Cash would be interested in the move due to the lure of Champions League football, but that he was happy at the club and with the project at Villa Park.
That has now been proven right with the reward of a new five-year deal at the club on improved terms, with the 24-year-old seen as a big part of the future of Aston Villa.
The new contract does more than just tie him down for the next five years though, but it more sends a message to big clubs who may look to pick apart their squad if they’re successful over the coming years.
Aston Villa will not be bullied by the giants of the footballing world and are ready to battle with everyone to become a force themselves.
They want to be the next Leicester City or West Ham, who have built squads using smart transfers rather than expensive signings and managed to compete with the ‘big six’ at different stages over the last few years.
Eventually, the plan is to become part of that elite group if all goes well, but that’s certainly not a given. But they’ve sent a message to Atletico Madrid and anyone else that wants to sign their top performers that it won’t be easy.
Villa can compete financially, their project is appealing and good performances mean rewards at the club.
Everyone is pulling in the right direction, and Cash will be part of that group going forward.
In other Aston Villa news, Paul Merson says Ollie Watkins will be on a high after his goal for England