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Aston Villa: Possible destinations for the claret and blue’s ‘loan army’

By Josh Tonti

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: Carles Gil of Aston Villa battles for the ball with Emre Can of Liverpool during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park on February 14, 2016 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 14: Carles Gil of Aston Villa battles for the ball with Emre Can of Liverpool during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park on February 14, 2016 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
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Steve Bruce is facing an exodus in his squad as he seeks to reduce numbers in the first team. The first ones to go? Most likely the myriad of Aston Villa players who played elsewhere across the globe in 2016-2017.

Aston Villa CEO is looking to offload several Aston Villa players. The club simply has too many numbers in the first team to operate an effective budget. Given the number of youth players knocking on the door, this year’s loanees may be looking for new clubs.

It began two weeks ago as Fiorentina made their loan move for Carlos Sanchez permanent. The terms, undisclosed to the public, most likely did not net Villa a huge sum. Perhaps, under £1 million given the wages the Colombian international was making.

Next: Libor Kozak departs Aston Villa

Likewise, Libor Kozak left the club last week. Often-injured, Kozak could not find a way back to the pitch after three operations in four years. Kozak either returns to Italy, where he enjoyed previous success at Lazio, or returns home to a club in the Czech Republic.

That leaves us Pierluigi Gollini, Aaron Tshibola, Ross McCormack, Aly Cissokho, Jordan Veretout, Carles Gil (pictured above), and Kevin Toner to deal with.

Gollini is all but set to return to Atalanta where he has a good shot at claiming the number one shirt. Or, at the very least, play in the Europa League + Coppa Italia. Perhaps the two sides figure out a permanent switch beforehand, but Aston Villa may decide that’s not in their best interest.

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Aaron Tshibola joined Nottingham Forest in January, only to make a handful of substitution appearances. He arrived from Reading for a cool £5 million in the summer, but has yet to prove himself week in and week out. I think it unlikely another Championship club comes calling for that same figure. Keith Wyness has three options: 1. Accept a lower sum from a Championship rival. 2. Accept another loan switch. 3. Let Steve Bruce utilize him in central midfield.

I’d like to see ‘Tish given another year developing in Birmingham at age-22.

Ross McCormack was hailed as the signing that would fire Aston Villa back into the Premier League. The Scotland international was the first of three strikers Tony Xia splurged £10+ million on during the course of the campaign. McCormack’s worth just twelve months after? Probably half, if that. He notoriously struggled with weight and fitness issues at both Villa and Forest.

But, let’s not forget the magic that was Ross McCormack before this year:

Can he still bring it? Who knows. He and Steve Bruce must get on the same page before returning to pre-season. He, like Tshibola, might be best given one more chance at Aston Villa. Given the market values of other forwards, Villa may not be able to afford a replacement for the injured Jonathan Kodjia.

Aly Cissokho featured at Olympiacos since January. A return is certainly possible, along with other possible moves back to France. Cissokho is a well-traveled man in football, playing in: France, Spain, Portugal, England, and Greece.

Of all the Aston Villa players not named Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout is the most likely to command a sizable transfer fee for the claret and blue. Saint-Étienne and Montpellier may be interested for £5-10 million.

Carles Gil publicly stated his desire to move permanently to Deportivo. The problem? The Spanish outfit is facing a serious liquidity problem at the moment. They may not be able to meet Villa’s valuation, but several other La Liga sides could.

Finally, we have Kevin Toner and Henry Cowans. Cowans (yes, the son of Gordon) has not made his first team debut nearing age 22. Movement to League Two might be in the offering. Kevin Toner might do well to settle in at Villa as the fourth central defender if the club fail to move for added depth.

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