One of the stranger transfer window rumour mill suggestions this summer for Aston Villa was former Manchester City Academy graduate, Omar Elabdellaoui.
The now 28-year-old has spent the last six years with Olympiakos, including an eight game loan spell with Hull City in the second half of the 2016/17 campaign, and he’s recently made the switch out to Galatasaray.
The speculation always appeared to be strange to me, mainly because Freddy Guilbert and Ahmed Elmohamady are decent enough cover at right back – at least for this coming season – and if all else fails, Ezri Konsa wasn’t too shabby on the right either.
It just didn’t seem a priority position for me, and also not the type of player we’d seem to have an interest in.
According to a report from Sport Witness I may have been wrong in that assumption, as although agent Mikail Adampour wouldn’t specifically name-check the clubs that were interested in the Norwegian, he did confirm interest from England.
“I can confirm interest from several clubs. The specific countries that Omar turned down were England, Germany and Italy. Out of respect for the clubs that have been involved, we will not comment beyond this.”
Being available as a free agent, if we did genuinely have an interest, it can only have been if we were open to moving Elmo on for me.
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I remember a single report on this potential target, but more or less forgot about it.
Generally, there have been hints Villa are looking at the right back area, which was not an area I had thought priority.
All the possible reported targets are probably a mix of genuine enquiries and lazy navel gazing. Then again, I suppose there will be many enquiries that gradually distil down to a few offers and then some to deals in a sort of funnel-type graphic. At the moment GK, RB, CM, L/RW & CF all seem on the agenda, although goalies only because of Heaton’s match fitness doubts. Goalies aside, I am beginning to think the club might be aiming for one each of the other categories.
Winger options now look thinner, especially if Rashica doesn’t fancy it and Benrahma’s priced out. Buendia’s the best technically, whilst Wilson probably is the greatest goal threat. Cervi is not one for me.
We like to see a bit of deal news soon.
Back in training now, so you would expect things to hot up a touch next week wouldn’t you.
Let‘s hope so.
I still think four or five well chosen additions could see us move a good step up. 50 goals and another 4-5 clean sheets would make a big difference.
Seems as though there some cat and mouse tactics at the moment. Every club has taken a financial battering, but the PL relatively less so than the rest. There is a game of holding your nerve on the go, but covering against the opposition manoeuvres complicates it all.
Quite like the look of McKennie, although I confess to knowing nothing about him before news broke a few days ago. A good forceful player alongside McGinn and Luiz will make a big difference.
Still waiting for the market to spark largely aren’t we. Know nothing of McKennie either, but quickly got used to that last summer lol