Aston Villa agreed fee to sign 23 y/o winger, but he doesn’t want to join.
The January transfer window of the previous year was Premier League boss Unai Emery’s first opportunity to insign his name
to the team. Emery was not allowed to enjoy the luxury of the entire summer market because he was only appointed at the end of October.
Villa used the money saved to make two significant winter additions: forward Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire for £14.3 million
(Transfermarkt) and full-back Alex Moreno from Real Betis for £11.6 million. Despite starting the Premier League season in the
bottom part of the standings, they managed to finish eighth.
A year on, and Emery’s side sit just three points behind leaders Liverpool at the 20-game mark, raising the genuine prospect of
Champions League football or even a title charge. With the right business in January, Villa can give themselves the best
possible chance of protecting or improving their spot for the remainder of the season, but Emery has now suffered an early blow.
Ngonge set to snub Villa
A report from Italy earlier this week claimed Villa had agreed a fee of €10m for Hellas Verona winger Cyril
Ngonge (TuttoMercatoWeb), and L’Arena backs up that story while noting that the Villans also offered €2m in add-ons (Sport Witness).
However, Ngonge is showing little interest in the idea of moving to Villa Park, and would instead prefer to remain in Serie A if
he is to leave Verona. Domestic suitor Fiorentina may therefore represent a more compelling option.
A 23-year-old right-sided attacker, Ngonge came through the youth ranks at Club Brugge in his native Belgium and joined
Verona from Groningen just last summer after spells with PSV and RKC Waalwijk. In his first season of Serie A football, he’s
scored five goals and provided two assists, which has helped keep his side outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone (Transfermarkt).
Bailey transformation under Emery softens blow
It’s somewhat surprising that Ngonge isn’t particularly keen on this move. He has the opportunity to trade a relegation battle
for a Champions League race, and it doesn’t seem like a sense of loyalty is at play given his apparent willingness to join Fiorentina.
Either way, the big consolation for Emery is the form of one of his existing options in Leon Bailey. The Jamaican is already
closing in on a ‘double double’ with nine goals and eight assists in all competitions this season. In both departments, he’s already enjoying the best year of his Villa career, and there’s still just under 50% of the season to go (Transfermarkt).
Bailey has also been in particularly good form lately, having scored three goals in his previous seven Premier League games,
including the game-winning goal against reigning champion Manchester City in December. He has also set up two goals.
Emery should be good through the rest of the season with Nicolo Zaniolo, Moussa Diaby, and Matty Cash all capable of playing
on the right wing if necessary due to a tactical reshuffle. Perhaps Emery should prioritize signing a right-back over other
positions in the winter transfer window, as reported by The Athletic.
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