Aston Villa: Nicolo Zaniolo summer transfer decision already made as February update emerges
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will have already made a decision over Nicolo Zaniolo’s long-term future at Villa Park beyond his loan spell, according to Alan Hutton.
The Italian midfielder has struggled since making the switch to the Premier League on a temporary basis from Galatasaray last summer, scoring only once in the Premier League and failing to register a single assist in 17 appearances for Emery’s side this term.
Reports emerged from Gazzetta Dello Sport (19 February) that the 24-year-old is keen to return to Italy during the summer, with a permanent move to Villa unlikely to be completed despite a permanent clause being included in the loan deal.
While Hutton admits that he has been impressed by Zaniolo’s talent in flashes since he arrived at Villa Park, he thinks Emery won’t be keen to keep the Italian beyond the end of the season and will instead look at other targets.
“I think he’ll probably know by this time,” Hutton told Villa News.
“He’s been there long enough to get a feel for the club and a feel for his teammates and I think in flashes he has done well, you can see that the quality is there, but for whatever reason he’s not quite fitted in as Unai Emery would have hoped.
“You’ve got the likes of Buendia and others who will be coming back next season who was arguably going to be the top player, the top pick for this season before he, unfortunately, picked up an injury.
“Maybe he’ll think that they’ve already got options there and they’ll be looking at different targets so I don’t think it has probably worked as well as he would have hoped.”
Will Aston Villa decide to sign Nicolo Zaniolo permanently in the summer transfer window?
As Hutton suggested, Emery is spoilt for choice when it comes to attackers at Villa with a number of impressive forward options waiting in the wings who can be more effective than Zaniolo in a claret and blue shirt.
Emi Buendia is expected to return to action next season after suffering a major injury in 2023, while supporters are yet to see the best of Morgan Rogers since he made the January switch from Middlesbrough.
Something will have to change quickly for Zaniolo to change Emery’s mind before the end of the season, but currently, it seems as though the Villa manager has already made his decision.
In other Aston Villa news, Hutton has insisted that teams are watching Douglas Luiz ahead of a “nervous” summer transfer window
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