Aston Villa tried to sign former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from Marseille in January and could be more likely to succeed with a transfer in the summer, according to Jonathan Johnson in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
The Ligue 1 writer has explained that Guendouzi has improved a lot since his Arsenal days, becoming a key player for Marseille who they won’t want to lose, though his asking price could be somewhere in the region of £30-35million.
Guendouzi played under Emery at Arsenal and now looks a more mature and consistent player, according to Johnson, so this could be smart business by Villa if they manage to get it done.
The club have made great progress since Emery took over as manager, and they’ve not been shy of making some big signings in recent times.
Johnson expects Guendouzi will be on the move with Marseille’s blessing this summer as he didn’t push too hard to leave the club in January.
“He (Guendouzi) is more consistent now than he was at Arsenal, he’s matured a lot, and is not as much of a hot-headed player as he used to be, even if he still has his moments. He’s become a leader in this Marseille squad, and is benefiting from playing at the upper end of Ligue 1 and getting European experience as well,” Johnson explained, in his column which will be published in full tomorrow morning.
“Marseille would love to keep him, but Aston Villa, managed now by former Arsenal manager Unai Emery, really wanted him in January. It didn’t happen on that occasion but it wouldn’t surprise me if Villa come back in for him, because they’ll probably be a more attractive proposition for him now, with Emery looking like getting them into Europe.
“I think there has been a sense for some time that Guendouzi would go back to the Premier League at some point, so I think Marseille are quite resigned to losing him this summer, so keep an eye on what Villa do what that. They’re not afraid to splash the cash, and Guendouzi looks an ideal player for Emery.
“Marseille tend to bring players in with the view to cashing in on them a couple of years later, and while there obviously has to be some consistency in terms of who’s in their squad in order to keep them competitive in the race for Champions League qualification, there is a feeling that Guendouzi has slightly outgrown his surroundings at the Stade Velodrome.
“I can certainly see him moving on with Marseille’s blessing because he didn’t push to leave in the winter window, for a free in the region of £30-35million.”