A flurry of transfer speculation landed right on Aston Villa’s doorstep with goalkeeper Brad Guzan and central midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye set to complete medicals at separate clubs.
Manager Roberto Di Matteo seems to have received his wish of a thinner squad of players. Senegalese international & Villa central midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye is set for £7.1 million pound move to Everton after the Merseyside club activated his relegation buy-out clause.
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One year after his £9 million pound move from Lille, Gana Gueye is destined to return to Premier League football immediately. In Ronald Koeman’s new-look Everton side, Gana Gueye eyes to compete in the middle of the park alongside James McCarthy, Gareth Barry, and Muhamed Bešić.
Idrissa Gueye’s ferocity in midfield enamored the Villa faithful who truly appreciated the work rate he put in week in and week out (the same cannot be said for much of the squad). In Gana Gueye, Everton are receiving a true box-to-box center midfield player complete with defensive shielding abilities. His passing range and consistent fouling in bad spots are definitive weaknesses, however.
144/141 - Only Kante made more tackles (175) & interceptions (156) than Idrissa Gueye last season in PL. Tenacious. pic.twitter.com/q9Wn8r2thY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 27, 2016
With Gana Gueye leaving, the central midfield spots remain up to the newly acquired Aaron Tshibola, alongside Jordan Veretout, Gary Gardner, Ashley Westwood, and Carlos Sanchez.
Alongside Gana Gueye, Brad Guzan is set for a move to Middlesbrough in the following days.
Reports read that he will pen a two-year deal at Riverside Stadium following a free transfer away from Villa Park.
It is expected he will provide competition to the ex-Barcelona ‘keeper Victor Valdes and incumbent, Dimitros Konstantopoulos.
In his four and a half years as the Villa number-one, Guzan provided the necessary emergency stops needed in order to survive relegation year after year. It was crystal clear after the signing of Pierluigi Gollini that there was no further place for Guzan at Villa Park.
Furthermore, in a mild turn of events, the Micah Richards to Sunderland saga seems to have cooled off.
I understand Aston Villa's Micah Richards will NOT be signing for Sunderland and there never has been a deal in place.
— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) July 26, 2016
The rumored £5 million pounds for Richards felt unrealistic for a player coming off an utterly abysmal season hopping to and from positions.