Aston Villa principal owner Dr. Tony Xia confirmed on his Twitter account that he rejected a £1.5 million overture from Reading for versatile Curaçao international, Leandro Bacuna.
In the midst of another mini injury crisis, Aston Villa rejected a bid from Championship rivals Reading for the services of Leandro Bacuna. The Curaçao international is a polarizing figure among Villa supporters.
Some will tell you he’s s**t in every position. Others say he’s valuable squad depth, someone capable and comfortable sitting on the bench as the third option at every position. Somewhere in the middle, people will say he’s a better athlete than a footballer.
But none of that matters because Steve Bruce rates Leandro Bacuna. As a matter of fact, he rates Bacuna enough to place Gary Gardner on the transfer list, despite central midfield not being the player’s native position. Here’s a list of positions Bacuna has played as a member of Aston Villa Football Club: right back, left back, right wingback, defensive midfield, central midfield, right midfield, and right wing..
Xia had this to say:
This is true.
— Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) July 29, 2017
The top tweet (cut-off) is a quotation from Sky Sports linking Villa to a rejected bid from Reading.
Aston Villa is smart in not moving Bacuna in the middle of another injury crisis. Leandro is young, affordable, and versatile, contracted to the club until the summer of 2020. That’s the type of player clubs like Aston Villa need. £1.5 million hardly moves the needle in terms of Financial Fair Play. Villa would be hard to find an immediate upgrade over him for that amount, should they pursue other targets.
With injuries to Jonathan Kodjia, Albert Adomah, Jack Grealish, Mile Jedinak, Mark Bunn, and Sam Johnstone, the eighteen suddenly becomes barren. With one more injury or suspension, a spot opens up for a teenager such as Keinan Davis or Jake Doyle-Hayes.
I suspect Bacuna will play an important part this year, even if it is not as a glamorous starter.