An interesting tidbit from Portugal, where Aston Villa began pre-season training: Jordan Veretout impressed in his first session under manager Steve Bruce. Is this nothing to note, or something more?
Jordan Veretout spent 2016/2017 away on-loan with Ligue 1 side, Saint-Étienne. After impressing in his native France, Veretout is widely considered a candidate for an Aston Villa sale this summer.
That is, until club owner Dr. Tony Xia had this to say:
I heard his first training with squad was good. So maybe he can stay playing if we don't get enough amounts &JV doesn't refuse to play. https://t.co/wJVtBTVKf1
— Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) July 5, 2017
This tweet means one of three things:
- It’s genuine and Veretout impressed Steve Bruce, who, remember, has never seen Jordan play up close.
- Doesn’t mean anything and Villa are proceeding by collecting offers.
- A beautiful marketing ploy to up the current offers from several Ligue 1 sides.
Now, it’s still likely Jordan Veretout is moving on this summer. Villa’s continued interest in Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan makes the central midfield ranks extremely crowded: Jedinak, Whelan, Lyden, Hourihane, Lansbury, Bacuna, and Gardner all included.
It can be argued Veretout is one of the most talented players in the Aston Villa squad. His 35 Ligue 1 appearances is a testament to that. In which, the Frenchman scored three goals and provided four assists, while completing over 80% of his passes.
Even during Villa’s historic relegation season two years ago, Veretout was one of the steadier performers in a team mired in awfulness.
Reportedly, Saint-Étienne bid £4 million for a permanent transfer of the midfielder. However, Villa are holding out for closer to the £7 million Randy Lerner doled out in the summer of 2015. Still only 24, Veretout has an incredible 159 appearances in Ligue 1 – most of which came from Nantes, his academy club.
Xia’s tweet could be a plea of, “up your bid, or we’re keeping Veretout.”
Next: Aston Villa reach a deal for the sale of Amavi
Verdict:
Steve Bruce may have been awed by early training sessions of Jordan Veretout. However, it will be difficult piecing together Jordan Veretout, Henri Lansbury, Conor Hourihane, and Mile Jedinak into the Villa midfield.