Aston Villa Midfielder Tipped To Leave This Summer: Can Gerrard Afford To Lose Him?

In a recent interview with Football Insider, former Premier League attacker Gabriel Agbonlahor tipped Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson to leave this summer. Agbonlahor said,

“You have to look at it, for him himself he will want to move on and play regularly.

“If Steven Gerrard’s got a transfer window to bring in more players and you’ve not been playing before the transfer window what chance have you got playing next season?

“He is one of the players that Steven Gerrard will probably move on.

“Sanson himself will want to move on and play football. He played a lot at Marseille so he will want to go somewhere where he’s playing regular and not where he is getting rare appearances, that’s not what a player wants.”

Sanson’s Unimpressive Campaign At Villa Park So Far

The French midfield ace has played a sporadic role for the Villans during this campaign and has found regular playing opportunities hard to come by over the past ten months. Sanson has made only 12 appearances for the West Midlands club this season, securing one assist in the process across all fronts.

The 27-year-old has often found himself coming off the bench but has done well to average 1.2 tackles, 1.0 interceptions and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even been tidy with his ball distribution after making 78.4% of his attempted passes in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).

Can Aston Villa Boss Steven Gerrard Afford To Lose Sanson This Summer?

Sanson is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his side at the centre of the park. The Frenchman remains a good passer of the ball but needs to figure out a way to be more consistent with his offensive numbers if he wants to become a regular starter at the highest level.

At the moment, Sanson is surplus to requirements at Villa Park as he has fallen behind John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, and Douglas Luiz in Steven Gerrard‘s pecking order.

Thus, it makes sense for the Villans to cut Sanson loose when the transfer window commences later this year. At 27, the French sensation still has some time to turn his career around for the better. All in all, the West Midlands side can afford to lose Sanson this summer as long as they can bring in a suitable replacement ahead of the new season.