Aston Villa really should make Anwar El Ghazi’s loan deal from Lille permanent

Follow us on Google Discover

The 23-year-old’s loan contract includes an option for Villa to buy – and at a reported value of £4.5m, they would likely be getting a bargain.

How quickly things can change in football – just a few weeks ago, it looked as though Anwar El Ghazi was at risk of seeing his Aston Villa loan cut short.

Following his temporary switch from French side Lille, the 23-year-old began brightly for the Villans, scoring against Sheffield United and providing an assist for his side in a 1-1 draw against Reading.

However, El Ghazi subsequently lost his place in the team, managing just 40 minutes of football in nine Championship games (Transfermarkt).

The Dutch winger has since stormed back into contention, coming off the bench to score Villa’s fifth goal in a 5-5 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Then, in Friday’s local derby against West Bromwich Albion, El Ghazi put in a superb performance and scored two goals to help his side to a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns.

Many plaudits came his way, with the Birmingham Mail saying he stole the show against the Baggies and suggesting that “a new hero is born” for the Villa faithful.

Whoscored, meanwhile, named El Ghazi in their Championship Team of the Week and gave him the highest rating of all the named starting XI with a score of 8.9.

At present, the Netherlands international’s tally stands at four goals and an assist from just eight games – and with an arm around his shoulder and a run in the first team, this could likely get even better.

Looking back at some of El Ghazi’s tenures at previous clubs, you build a picture of a fairly prolific player both in goals and assists, such as Ajax, where he claimed an impressive 23 goals and 16 assists in just 99 games (Transfermarkt).

Also, it is worth remembering that Lille’s deal regarding El Ghazi’s season-long loan to Villa includes an option to buy, with Transfermarkt valuing the player at £4.5m.

A talented player who has plenty of years ahead of him, performances almost too good for the Championship – Villa would be stupid not to splash the cash and make this deal permanent.