According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa are close to completing the signing of winger Mahmoud Hassan from Turkish club Kasimpasa for a fee of £8.5million, plus add-ons. The 24-year-old usually goes by the name Trezeguet, due to one of his youth coaching making a comparison between Hassan’s style and that of former French World Cup winner David Trezeguet.
The Egyptian international is reportedly on his way to England to discuss personal terms and have a medical. There are not expected to be any hitches with the deal.
Villa needed players
Some have compared Villa’s transfer dealings this summer to that of Fulham’s last summer when they earned promotion via the play-offs. The Cottagers bought a raft of players in a rather scattergun approach.
However, looking at Villa’s dealings they look to be better planned out. They have strengthened the areas of the team that strengthening most. Some would say the Villans have overspent on some players, but in the current market that is hard to avoid.
In truth, Villa needed to bring in bodies, as well as quality. They reportedly had just 17 players by the end of the campaign due to contract expirations and loan players returning to their clubs. Those 17 players were not necessarily in favour with boss Dean Smith.
Their signings make sense
The mass signings have a lot of logic to them. The players that have arrived in the likes of Tyrone Mings and Anwar El Ghazi spent last season on-loan at the Midlands club, so Villa know they fit in and are players of good characters.
Belgian centre-back Bjorn Engels is a player that Villa boss Smith has long admired and scouted. Brazilian striker Wesley is probably a slight gamble, but like Engels, the forward thrived in the Belgian top-flight and is still young.
The signing of the summer could well be the capture of defender Ezri Konsa from Smith’s former club Brentford. The 21-year-old has established a reputation as one of the best young centre-backs outside of the Premier League.
All the players that have arrived this summer are players who are relatively young and have time to develop, with potentially big sell-on value if they impress at Villa. This is obviously not the Villans first consideration when buying a player, but every club has to protect their investment.
The Villans can avoid the relegation dogfight
For many people, Aston Villa are still a big club. The Villans are one of the few British teams to ever win the European Cup. Their recent history has been as kind to them, though. For years they were poorly managed at boardroom level and on the pitch.
However, the Midlands club now seems to have owners and a boss that can first bring about stability and then move the club forward. Despite winning promotion, they are not one of the three favourites to suffer relegation.
Smith seems to be a shrewd boss and they have a favourable start to their return to English football’s top-flight. The Villans should have enough quality to stay away from the Premier League dogfight next season. Villa belongs in the English top-flight and they should have enough quality to maintain their position in the new campaign.
Where will Aston Villa finish next season?
