Dan Bardell moots Aston Villa transfer strategy change under Monchi, could follow Brighton model
We’re delighted to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Aston Villa could look to follow Brighton’s model of signing younger players following the links to RB Salzburg’s Oscar Gloukh, according to Dan Bardell.
Football Insider reported on 11 December that Villa are looking to land a deal with the Austrian side to sign the 19-year-old attacking midfielder in the January transfer window.
It added that the Villans see the Israeli international, who joined Salzburg for £6.1million from Maccabi Tel Aviv in January, as a player with “top potential” and believe he could be a “great fit” for Unai Emery’s project at Villa Park.
Bardell believes the club needs to start looking at recruiting players such as Gloukh in a bid to build a team that can continue to compete in the future, sharing one link he has heard.
Asked whether the attacking midfielder could be a player they look to target, speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “I’m unsure, to be honest. It’s pretty unclear what Villa are looking to do transfer-wise. The only thing I’ve really heard is fullback.
“I think generally in the market and with Monchi there now, Villa need to be looking at recruiting that type of player in terms of young players and maybe signing players and loaning them back, just so they are doing something. It’s not someone that’s going to be integrated into the first team immediately.
“I think Brighton have done that well, where they’ve signed young players from Europe and they maybe don’t do anything for a year or they go back out on loan, but they’re building a squad for the future as well. They’re building a team for now, but also with one eye on the future.
“I think maybe that’s something you may see Monchi and Villa start to do, recruit that kind of player but not with it being in mind that they’re going to play for the first team in the next 12 months.
“I’d actually be all for Villa doing business, but maybe not being players that are going to come in and play straight away.”
In other Aston Villa news, a journalist has blasted Garth Crooks for his Villa “fantasy” comments.