Aston Villa manager Unai Emery instructs his players at Villa Park.placeholder image
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery instructs his players at Villa Park. | AFP via Getty Images
Aston Villa have identified another transfer target as Unai Emery looks to improve his squad
It has been a disappointing start to the season for Aston Villa and that continued on Tuesday night, as Brentford came from behind to win on penalties in the EFL Cup third round.
Granted, there was a slight improvement from defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium in the league. Villa scored their first goal of the season, their first in more than eight hours of competitive football, in the first half. It will come as even more encouraging that it was deadline day signing Harvey Elliott who bagged the goal. But John McGinn and Matty Cash missed in the shoot-out and an opportunity at winning a trophy this season has gone.
There is still much time to turn things around in the league and make the campaign a successful one. The club will be looking ahead to future opportunities to bring in players already, though, as squad deficiencies have become apparent after a modest summer in the transfer market.
Aston Villa one of Premier League clubs tracking England star
According to reports by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are one of the clubs interested in AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is out of contract in 2027 and has alerted several Premier League sides, who may look to ‘take advantage’ of the situation.
The former Chelsea star was recently recalled to Thomas Tuchel’s England set-up seven years after his last appearance for his country, which has alerted interested clubs to his future availability. The clubs mentioned are Villa, Newcastle United and West Ham United.
The report states that the Rossoneri are yet to make a decision about the 29-year-old’s future, regarding a contract renewal, but have placed a €20 million (£17m) price tag on the former Cobham youth product, which may entice the likes of Villa further.
The interest Milan are receiving in Loftus-Cheek is reportedly causing ‘anxiety’ within the club, for a player who has been trusted for a starting role under Max Allegri this season. Loftus-Cheek has made 72 appearances for the Serie A side since joining in 2023, scoring 11 goals and laying on three assists.
‘I completely forgot about England’ - Loftus-Cheek
Reported by BBC Sport, Loftus-Cheek spoke of the surprise he felt on his England recall during the September international break following seven years outside of the international fold.
"You still want to push in club football with the hope of maybe getting a sniff," he said. "But I just completely forgot about it and was being a fan of the team instead."
He suffered an Achilles injury in 2019 and would not regain his spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad again after that, until his recent recall by Tuchel after Adam Wharton withdrew with injury.
Loftus-Cheek continued: "When I ruptured my Achilles, I was on such a high [before it happened], so after that I had a hard time mentally. But I was still young, I still had time to come back, so I wasn't too low.
"If you have got good people around you it is going to help you so much, but the main thing comes from your self drive," he added. “That belief, to overcome challenges, is paramount in sport and in life - that you have this mentality in overcoming challenges.
"I played many positions under Tuchel [at Chelsea] and he values my physicality so I am used to working under him. He is very intelligent and knows the game so well. Hopefully we can do well to connect with him.”
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