Everton react to Aston Villa approach to sign James Garner after contract news
Unai Emery explored the possibility of signing James Garner in the winter transfer window.
Aston Villa welcomed four new signings to Villa Park during the winter window, and if he’d had it his way, Garner probably would’ve made it five.
Douglas Luiz and Tammy Abraham sealed returns to B6, whilst youngsters Brian Madjo and Alysson are expected to be stars of Villa’s future.
Emery enjoyed a relatively quiet deadline day too, with outgoings being the order of the day.
Ben Broggio joined Falkirk on loan, Samuel Iling-Junior was recalled from West Brom and subsequently went back out to sign for Pisa, and Jamaldeen Jimoh signed for the Baggies.
Aston Villa revealed to have explored James Garner deal
Emery was able to bolster his central midfield ranks with the signing of Luiz, as the 27-year-old returned to Aston Villa on loan from the club he originally left to sign for in the summer of 2024, Juventus.
Villa are dealing with a plethora of injuries in their engine room, with John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara all facing lengthy absences.
However, Luiz may well not have been Emery’s first-choice target to replenish his midfield department, because as it turns out, the Villans seem to have had their eyes on an in-demand Premier League star.
As revealed in a report by The Athletic on Tuesday, Villa “tentatively explored” a deal for Everton’s midfield maestro, Garner.
This was before the 24-year-old eventually penned a new long-term contract extension with the Toffees, as he was set to become a free agent in the summer.
Everton are understood to have been aware of Villa’s “internal admiration” for Garner, and as such, moved quickly to tie down the midfielder on Merseyside.
- Read more: Aston Villa told to snap up James Garner in £25m swoop from Everton after what insider has seen
Garner would’ve ended Emery’s Harvey Elliott purchase fears
Emery knows that he only needs to hand a few more appearances to Harvey Elliott before Villa are committed to purchasing the Liverpool midfielder, something which he’s reportedly not keen to do.
But, with Villa’s current injury situation in midfield, Emery may well be left with no choice but to bite the bullet, as he’s perhaps only another injury away from being forced to play the 22-year-old.
However, had Garner signed this winter, any fears over triggering Elliott’s purchase clause would’ve evaporated, and not only that, would’ve handed Villa an excellent player at a bargain price given his contract situation.
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