Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey is closing in on completing a £40m move to Newcastle United after an agreement was reached over a deal.
The 24-year-old came through the youth ranks at Villa before going on to make 167 appearances at senior level, scoring 17 goals and providing 19 assists.
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He has been a key member of the first-team squad for some time, and was undoubtedly an important option for Unai Emery over the previous two campaigns with his work ethic, tactical and positional awareness, energy and ability to contribute in front of goal all key attributes.
However, injuries and inconsistency have held him back from fulfilling his potential and taking his game to the next level, as his goal contributions were never really as high as needed for such a key player in his position.
According to Fabrizio Romano, his time at Villa is now coming to an end as Villa and Newcastle have reached an agreement on a transfer in deal worth £40m, with Ramsey agreeing personal terms and heading to Tyneside to undergo his medical on Thursday.
Further, it’s added that the midfielder ‘strongly wanted Newcastle’, and coupled with reports that Villa had tried to agree new contract terms with him, it perhaps points to the player wanting the move more than the club, albeit we have needed an important sale this summer to balance our books and strengthen our financial position when it comes to complying with PSR and UEFA’s SCR rules.
In turn, it’s such a shame to see Ramsey go, but it’s arguably the sensible move for all concerned at this stage of his career, and given it’s a sale to a direct rival, it will be difficult to wish him too well as it could be a move that comes back to haunt us.
Nevertheless, it was likely seen as a necessary piece of business from the Villa hierarchy considering the points above, and it must be hoped that it gives us a crucial boost on and off the pitch to continue to improve and become more competitive under Emery in the long run.
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