So, we’ve covered the players whose contracts run out this coming summer, and the summer of 2022: Who Should Stay And Who Should Go? Contracts Ending Summer of 2021 & 2022
And also the players whose contracts run until 2023. Should They Stay Or Go – Aston Villa Squad Contracts That Expire In The Summer Of 2023
Now, if you can contain your excitement for five minutes, we’ll look at the rest of the squad. This covers the players’ contracts running out in 2024 and 2025.
Contracts Ending Summer 2024:
Bertrand Traore. Our left-footed, right-sided, attacking winger. Signed from Lyon in the summer of 2020, for a suspected (I say suspected as it was announced as undisclosed) fee of around £17million. His contract runs until 2024 so Villa have plenty of time to see how the move works out. To me, he is just starting to show the great potential he possesses and the reason why we spent so much on him. He had a great start with Lyon, scoring 17 goals, but did become a bit part player, having fallen down the pecking order. Now, with the time he’s had to firstly get fit, then to get match fit, we should start to see the real deal. Hope so, when he’s on song, he looks to be a really class player.
Forum thread: Bertrand Traore
Bjorn Engels. The 26-year-old Belgian started so well for us didn’t he? But now, he doesn’t even seem to feature on the bench that often. To be fair, as a right-footed central defender, his natural competition is Ezri Konsa and he’s not put a foot wrong, so …! If he isn’t going to be used, I doubt he will be happy much longer, not playing, so maybe we will see a departure in the summer. Antwerp have been linked with a January loan move. Forum thread: click here…
The much loved John McGinn. Now he is over his injury and match fit, he’s looking the real deal again. I think a few were worried, I hold my hands up, that he might not get back up to speed quickly enough. Oh how foolish to question Super John McGinn. God the bloke must eat Duracell batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner mustn’t he? Long and short, he’ll get an improved contract judging by his current form. And to think, we bought him for an absolute snip from Hibs, having beaten off interest from Celtic.
Fun thread:
A couple of mates and myself were talking about John McGinn in whatsapp. It was a high level chat, we said:
He’s being considered as the Premiership Player of the season despite playing in the Championship.
Next Scottish prime minister surely? Ans: No, he’ll be made President of the USA despite them not allowing foreigners.
He’ll definitely be the first man to land on Mars. Ans: pretty sure he’s already done it, and run all round and came back… on the same day
I’m told the latest is John McGinn is so good, he’s being sent to Europe to sort out Brexit.
And so on… fill yer boots folks!!! Read more: Is It True? John McGinn
And the normal player thread: McGinn forum thread
I don’t know how marvelous, Marvelous Nakamba is. But we need cover, for sure. And I don’t think he’s ever let us down when he has been played? How happy he is to play a bit part though, I have no idea.
Nice article in the Brum Mail about him. A snippet: For the Zimbabwean owes everything to his hardworking mum, Charity, a maid who spent months at a time hundreds of miles away in South Africa to help support her family at their one-room rented home in Bulawayo.
Turkish side Trabzonspor have been linked to a January move for the defensive midfielder, but Villa need strength in depth. So it is a no from me!
Mbwana Samatta. Currently on loan at Fenerbahçe. Least said, soonest mended, I’m sure Villa will look to cut their losses if a permanent offer comes in.
Wesley Moraes Time will tell with our Brazilian striker. He didn’t look too hot for us following his £22million move from Club Brugge (where he had scored 17-goals in his last season for them). But then he picked up a horrific injury v Burnely just at the point where he was perhaps (? He splits opinion I know) finding his feet, after-all, he scored in the same match he picked up the injury. At the age of 24, I’d not write him off. But if he didn’t look hot before, I’m not sure how great he’ll look after a cruciate ligament injury.
Mixed views (and some strong language) in our forum thread: click here..
He is now fit enough to be back in (non contact) training. Smith confirmed: “He will join in with the group next week on a non-contact basis just to get him in amongst the players. We’ll have more of an idea when he starts contact training in probably two weeks. He’s getting a lot closer now which is pleasing.”
I’d love to see him come good. We can’t really judge him yet in my humble opinion and I love a good comeback story, God knows I’ve had enough of my own!
Emi Martinez. What a signing. At last, a steady pair of hands again, after so many goalkeeping disasters – Heaton aside- nothing else to say, apart from, what were Arsenal thinking, letting him go?! Forum thread: forum thread – click here…
Tyrone Mings. Following his move from Bournemouth, the 27-year-old central defender has worked his way into the England international team as well as being an automatic choice for Dean Smith’s starting ll – (as we saw when Hause deputised for him during his suspension only for Mings to walk straight back into the team – not the way I’d do it for any player to be honest, but I’m not the manager, thank goodness you all say!)
He does get caught for position at times I think, but then, he, like many of our players, is new to this level and was largely a full-back for Bournemouth (from memory anyway?). He was awesome in the Championship.
He likes a bit of politics by the looks of it, as he said the players were treated like ‘commodities‘ at the time of project re-start (which didn’t go down brilliantly with some of the comments I read at the time, after-all, we are all ‘commodities’ really… and was on the front line of the BLM marches in Birmingham, breaking lockdown. The club backed him, some fans were split on that, myself included. The lockdown was done for a reason, to save lives, the marches were ridiculously timed and bloody selfish to those on the front line of the NHS trying to save lives and losing their lives in the process. I understand the counter-arguments as well.
He is also though, very worthy. Mings started his own youth footballing academy called The Tyrone Mings Academy (his own site, I don’t think they have a secure i.e. https connection, but I clicked on and it was fine) that is based in Birmingham. It is aimed at children aged 6 to 16.
transfermarkt.co.uk says his current market value is £24million. But if Harry Maguire costs £80million then I would say that valuation is very wide of the mark. He is a leader, vocally, on the pitch. You don’t sell this sort of player unless you are replacing with better or being offered silly money.
Forum thread: Tyrone Mings – click here…
Keinan Davis Splits opinions in the forum thread. (Strong language at times in there). From the youth set up at Stevenage to the Villa youth academy. He is a strong player, always tries, but sadly, for a striker, doesn’t hit the target. I can’t see him making it at this level, I would LOVE him to prove that wrong.
Contracts Ending Summer 2025:
Matty Cash, a great signing from Nottingham Forest in my humble. I think he settled in so quickly and has impressed me with his energy and also, the fact he doesn’t look like he is having to play catch up following the jump up in divisions. Forum thread – click here… He arrived for a reported £16million. I can see him being in the side for years go come.
Ollie Watkins, forum thread – click here…. Arrived in the summer from Brentford, got a hattrick against Liverpool and criticised himself, saying he should have scored more. That is the sign of a real winner.
He needs a bit of luck and a few goals, but is contributing very nicely to the team. Our record signing, at a reported £28million, will do handsomely for us over the years. I have no doubts at all.
Jack Grealish. This is an article in itself really. He is linked, left, right and centre to moves, but when you have a player this good, you are going to see him being linked to big money moves and some are downright rude, talking up a move!
FFS @SkyFootball do you have a % of any Jack Grealish transfer? You are forever trying to talk up a move. Show some respect and talk about our team, not selling our team for us. You have no understanding of football at all. #AVFC
— Vital Villa (@VitalVilla) January 1, 2021
I can see him at Real Madrid or Barcelona one day, I hope we don’t see him in different team colours in the Premier League. Every player has his price, I’m sure his new contract has a release clause, I hope it is a very, very, high one! Forum thread – click here… Does good charity stuff off the pitch, but obviously makes the press for other issues and some, during lockdown, were really unnecessary – I’ll say no more. A sublime player, hope to see us able to keep him and build a team around him. That is down to Jack.
You can follow me on twitter @FearConquers, my instagram @fearconquersall and my own blog site as well thefear.net Will wonders never cease (or in my case, ever start!) As well as Vital Villa
(I’m making a tentative return to writing, something I’ve done for 20 years now, following yet more brain ache issues and my 14th operation. I was close to hanging up the keyboard, but I’ll see how it goes. Hopefully this article is error free! Right now, the lights are on but no one is home so to speak!)
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