Spanish publication Marca are reporting that Deportivo La Coruna will opt against keeping Carles Gil, following their relegation from La Liga.
The Spaniard has been on loan back in his home country for the last two seasons, but Depor have decided against taking up their option to buy the player.
Tony Xia has stated that the Spanish side were obligated to buy the player at the end of the season, but it seems their relegation from the top flight negates the compulsory purchase clause:
Fans on Twitter reacted to the news with a wide range of views:
https://twitter.com/bennybale/status/991552634413871104
The guy is to lightweight to influence games in either the championship or premiership
— john mcguire (@magoo1802) May 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/DickyCutler/status/991572900355461120
Wow they were desperate not to keep him!
— Ruarie Farrelly (@ruarie_f) May 2, 2018
Bring him back, hell of a player. Just needs to get to the gym!
— Yusuf Qureshi (@YhQ92) May 2, 2018
Not keepin’ Gil is one of the good things after the relegation
— rK!💎🇫🇷 en Ligue 2 BKT (@rikidella12) May 2, 2018
Ngl if we use him right and get him back to shape, he would be wicked to have on the team. I honestly think he could get back to it if everyone gave him a chance.
— owen 🦜 (@ffsowen) May 1, 2018
https://twitter.com/3456789abcde12/status/991554656232005632
He’s a forgotten man there let alone here
— Steve (@Steve_Ry02) May 1, 2018
Verdict:
Gil has suffered a number of injuries over the past two seasons that have cost him a great deal of playing time during his loan spell. This campaign he has managed 11 matches in all competitions and has been overlooked by manager Clarence Seedorf in recent months.
It will be interesting to see whether Marca’s report is true or not. They could be mistaken about the purchase clause no longer being valid. If he does return to Villa Park, the 25-year-old still has another year on his contract, and Steve Bruce would have to decide what to do with him.
