Finn Azaz can prove his is future of Aston Villa after double announcement
Aston Villa have announced that young midfielder Finn Azaz has signed a contract extension at Villa Park and will be returning to Plymouth Argyle on loan, in a move that could be influential in both his and the club’s future.
The midfielder joined Villa’s ranks in 2021 from midlands rival West Brom and despite being highly rated, is yet to make a first-team appearance such has been the gluttony of talent at the disposal at Villa Park since his arrival.
During his loan spells away from both The Hawthorns and Villa, Azaz has managed to progress through the English football pyramid. Starting in League Two with Cheltenham Town as they won promotion and Newport County, before heading to Home Park last year as Argyle were crowned champions of League One.
The Irish youth international played 39 times in all competitions for Steven Schumacher’s Pilgrims last season, scoring eight times and assisting on a further 10 occasions, the most fruitful campaign of his career reminding those back at Aston Villa of the talent they have waiting in the wings.
At 22 years old Azaz may seem slightly too old to only just be dipping his toes into Championship football after all Unai Emery has plenty of other attacking midfielders in his ranks with players such as Philippe Coutinho, Jacob Ramsey and even 17-year-old Omari Kellyman, who was preferred to the Plymouth loanee on Villa’s pre-season tour of America.
But a return to the club he was so successful with last season means another temporary departure makes more sense, with Azaz genuinely adored at Home Park, as displayed by the reaction on social media to his return, with one fan saying on Twitter: “The boy is home.”
Good for all parties
For Plymouth, it means they can save a transfer fee on a permanent signing, while bringing in an exciting talent to their ranks for another season and Villa now have the chance to see whether the 22-year-old will ever be able to cut it in the top-flight.
If Azaz takes the Championship by storm and can produce the sort of numbers he managed in League One last season, Villa may well look to loan him out to a side lower in the Premier League and finish his climb through the pyramid in hopes of making it at Villa Park.
But if what Azaz produces in the second tier isn’t at a standard equipped for Villa, a spell in the Championship will make the young player a more valuable asset to shift. Any potential transfer fee will likely be inflated with a season in England’s second division under his belt.
Either way for both the player and Villa, this new contract and move to Home Park on loan likely represents a final chance to prove he can reach the standard required to cut it in the Premier League and become the future of the club.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa are one of many clubs ready to activate Tyler Adams’ release clause