Dejan Kulusevski to ‘easily’ fit in at Aston Villa as Tottenham transfer update emerges
Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski would “easily” fit into Unai Emery’s plans at Aston Villa after new transfer developments at Villa Park, according to Alan Hutton.
The Villans boss is understood to be on the lookout for new attacking options ahead of the transfer deadline day after Moussa Diaby completed his big-money move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.
Although several names have been tipped to make the move to Villa Park, reports have suggested that Emery is keen to secure the signature of Sweden international Kulusevski from top-four rivals Spurs [Football Transfers, 20 July].
Although Hutton admits he was surprised to see the 24-year-old linked with Villa, he believes the Tottenham man has what it takes to compete with Leon Bailey for a starting role next season.
“Emery asks a lot of his players,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“You look at Morgan Rogers on the other side, he’s a ball carrier who runs forward and is aggressive and I think Kulusevski gives you that.
“He does want to carry the ball and I think he could fit into the Unai Emery plan quite easily coming off of that right-hand side.
“They’ve got Leon Bailey there who had a fantastic campaign last season and there will be a lot of competition again in those wide areas.
“It’s strange one for that to come up in the rumour mill and I didn’t really see that coming at all and when I was reading it I was thinking I’m not sure if this is true or not.
“We’ll see, it was a strange one but he is a quality player.”
Will Dejan Kulusevski exit Tottenham after Aston Villa transfer update?
As Hutton suggests, Emery demands a lot of the attacking players in his squad both in and out of possession, but that is something Kulusevski will be used to having played under Ange Postecoglou.
The opportunity to play in the Champions League once again would almost certainly also appeal to the Sewdish international, especially as his future in North London appears to be slightly unclear.
Whether or not he could force Bailey out of the starting XI remains to be seen. However, Villa do have the Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup to contend with this season so strength in depth will be a must.
Hopefully, the Villans will be able to agree on a deal with Spurs if they decide to push and get this deal over the line this summer. It could be expensive to pull off, but Emery’s side do have some money to spend.
In other Aston Villa news, Morgan Gibbs-White could hand Emery a new headache after a transfer update out of Villa Park
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.