The 19-year-old agreed a move to join us earlier this year before continuing at Kasimpasa for the remainder of the campaign, with the view of making the move to England this summer.
[As per the club’s post](https://x.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1940085582698369198), Ozcan is now officially a Villa player, and he’ll be expected to join up with his new teammates at Bodymoor Heath next week for the start of pre-season training.
_**READ MORE: [First summer signing confirmed as Villa land top prospect to bolster attack](https://talk-villa.com/aston-villa-zepiqueno-redmond-signing-confirmed-first-summer-arrival/)**_
It promises to be a decisive few weeks for the Turkish international, as if he can impress Unai Emery and his coaching staff, he could be kept onboard for the upcoming season and may well play a key role in providing us with competition for places and depth.
His versatility also makes him a useful option to have given his ability to operate as a centre-half or a left-back, and with his physicality, reading of the game and composure in possession, he ticks a lot of important boxes to suggest that he has the potential to be a great fit for Emery’s style of play.
There’s a lot to like about Ozcan’s game in both phases, and at just 19 years of age, he still has so much improvement and development ahead, and hopefully he’ll thrive while working under Emery.
Although this week has proven to be informative already with clarity on our financial position and moves beginning to be announced, there are still question marks over how the squad will look by the end of the transfer window.
Speculation has linked Lucas Digne with a departure this summer given he has just 12 months remaining on his current contract, and with Ozcan’s arrival, perhaps we have a younger and less expensive option in terms of his wages to provide cover for Ian Maatsen next season.
Should he stay with us this year as opposed to being loaned out, it’s difficult to see him displacing Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings in the side as they both sit ahead of him in the pecking order for the left-sided centre-half position, and so with Digne being one of the highest earners at the club at a time when Villa need to cut the wage bill to comply with SCR, perhaps it makes sense to keep Ozcan around and effectively see him replace the Frenchman long-term.
As noted above, Emery will no doubt take a closer look at the Turkish youngster in pre-season and make his assessment, but it’s hoped that Ozcan has a bright future ahead of him with Villa, rather than being the latest purchase seen as a possible profit-maker in the next year or two.
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