View: Aston Villa must sell Marvellous Nakamba now to recoup decent fee
By Sean Clifford.
Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba looks to be well out of the picture under Steven Gerrard at the moment, having not featured in either of the matchday squads in the Premier League so far against Bournemouth and Everton.
Due to the arrival of Boubacar Kamara at Villa Park from Marseille on a free transfer, the 26-cap Zimbabwe international has been relegated to being the third choice in holding midfield behind Kamara and fellow deep-lying enforcer Douglas Luiz.
Unfortunately for Nakamba, this will inevitably result in a further reduction of his game-time in the West Midlands.
In 2021/22, the Hwange-born ace made just 18 appearances in all competitions for his current employers partly due to injury, being deployed as a bit-part player to supplement squad depth occasionally when available.
The Athletic has previously reported in the last few days that Gerrard would be open to listening to offers from other clubs for his services, which may way spell the end at Aston Villa for Nakamba.
In spite of being a fan favourite amongst the Villa Park faithful due to his industrious presence on the pitch, it may now be the right time to part ways for both the club and the player.
At 28 years old, Nakamba still holds some sell-on value for prospective bidders, something that will decrease over time due to his contractual situation.
Right now, he is tied to Aston Villa until 2024, meaning he could still attract a decent fee which the club could re-invest if necessary.
Should he remain at the club beyond this window, it would be unlikely that Aston Villa would be able to recoup even half of the £11 million sum they shelled out for his signature back in 2019 from Club Brugge.
Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz provide more than enough depth in the number six position while likely contributing more to the club in the long-term age 22 and 24, respectively.
Purely speaking, allowing Nakamba to go elsewhere would make sense from both a financial and squad balance perspective.
Premier League clubs will need to submit their final 25-man squad for the first half of the campaign in early September, which could mean one or two fringe players may fail to make the cut.
Letting the Zimbabwe international go would help to ease this issue, also giving him the playing time he deserves after three years of good service at Aston Villa. Only time will tell with regards to Nakamba’s future, which will be decided in the next couple of weeks.
In other Aston Villa news, Paul McGrath backs Tyrone Mings in potential problem with Steven Gerrard