Following on from all the speculation linking Academy graduate Cameron Archer with a departure from the club, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League tie with Burnley at Turf Moor, Aston Villa confirmed that the 21 year old had signed personal terms with Sheffield United.
Given the high hopes fans had for Archer, this is a disappointing move on face value, but there can’t be a single person in the fanbase who doubts what manager Unai Emery has done for us since he first replaced Squeaky. Undoubtedly he has made a few mistakes, he has done a few things most of us disagree with, but, the results speak for themselves, as do the improved performances and the improvement in players that we have seen.
Archer leaving is disappointing, and the Official Site release is now as bare of real information that we’ve come to expect. The rumours doing the rounds however, are quite tasty, and they seem to imply that Villa may have finally woken up to the current game.
The transfer is described as ‘undisclosed’ but some media outlets have suggested the full package could be worth £18 million if all the clauses are met, but very importantly, it has also been claimed that we have a buy back clause on the deal. And if £18 million is true, it’s an educated guess the buy back is in the region of £25 million. The Blades themselves state ‘undisclosed’ but preface it with ‘considerable’.
In the modern game, if Archer reaches the potential many of us feel he has, the buy back clause is a snip and he will develop far better fighting for a place, earning it and shining, as opposed to odd Cups games and substitute appearances with us.
He goes with my good wishes, and I dearly hope he is back in a couple of seasons.
