Aston Villa urged to complete permanent Clement Lenglet transfer amid new Tyrone Mings update
Aston Villa have no reason to not complete a permanent transfer for Clement Lenglet this summer after his excellent performance against Fulham, according to Alan Hutton.
After a slow start to his career at Villa Park having joined Emery’s side on loan from Barcelona for the season, the French centre-back has become a regular fixture in Villa’s backline impressing alongside the likes of Pau Torres and Diego Carlos.
Lenglet’s upturn in form has come after suggestions emerged in January that he would be leaving the Premier League prematurely due to a lack of first-team action, with various European sides understood to hold an interest in signing him.
However, since the January transfer window slammed shut, the 28-year-old has gone from strength to strength in claret and blue, but Hutton isn’t convinced that Emery will look to add to his defence come the end of the season.
“I think he gives you that balance when he’s on the left,” Hutton told Villa News.
“It will be an interesting one moving forward because they’ve got a lot of options at centre-half when everybody is fit. I think what has happened is he’s come in at a time when Villa needed reinforcements and he’s obviously fitted in really well.
“He’s comfortable on the ball, I think that’s one of the big things from the manager obviously playing out from the back. They play a high line and pace-wise he’s alright.
“Overall his form has been good so why wouldn’t you look to tie him down, depending on money and depending on the situation of what gaps they’re trying to fill within this team?
“That will all come into it because they do have reinforcements at the back when everybody is fit, the likes of Tyrone Mings and those kind of guys.”
Will Aston Villa complete permanent Clement Lenglet transfer?
When everybody at Villa Park is fit and available, Unai Emery is spoilt for centre-back options as Hutton suggested, with the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Carlos, Torres and Lenglet all more than worthy of a place in Villa’s starting XI.
However, this season has shown that more than a couple of those players can’t be trusted to remain injury-free for a whole campaign, with every single centre-back in Emery’s ranks spending some time on the treatment table.
While adding to the squad in other areas may be a more pressing priority for those in charge of Villa’s recruitment, it would make perfect sense to try and sign Lenglet permanently, as long as the price is right for all parties involved.
In other Aston Villa news, Hutton has responded to Gary Neville’s recent top-four pressure verdict at Villa Park
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