Jordan Amavi; 22; 5’9″ 154lbs; first-choice left back*
For the first two months of the Premier League season, Aston Villa look set at left back for a decade because of the buccaneering efforts of Jordan Amavi along the left flank. A former OGC Nice Academy graduate, Amavi began his senior career appearing in France’s Ligue 1. With fifty-five first team appearances over two seasons, Villa purchased Amavi from Nice for a fee in the region of £9 million pounds.
Disaster struck Amavi on November 15th while on international duty with the France U21’s. Amavi planted his right foot into the turf to make a challenge. The result, a ruptured ACL in the right knee, cut his season short to just twelve appearances.
The efforts in his maiden Premier League campaign, though cut short, were lauded by analysts and fans alike. So much so that the likes of Liverpool, AC Milan, and Lyon have all been linked to Amavi following Villa’s relegation.
*Should Jordan Amavi stay on at Villa, and should his health warrant a return to form, he will easily remain the starting left back.*
Ayew and Amavi will definitely stay! We'll get striker but be confident with the manager team knowing what to do! https://t.co/GuNrblYukc
— Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) July 22, 2016
Principal owner Tony Xia reiterated that he looks forward to keeping Amavi in Birmingham.
Next: Joe Bennett