Championship giants Aston Villa are understandably desperate to sell Aaron Tshibola after a disastrous 18 months.
Aston Villa need to raise funds for new additions before the transfer window shuts next week and the best way to do that is to sell a few fringe players.
The Sun (23 January, page 55) reports that Villa could get both Ross McCormack and Tommy Elphick off the books by flogging the duo to Championship rivals Leeds United. But surely Aaron Tshibola is one of the first players Steve Bruce should get rid off before the month is out.
It is fair to say not all the players brought to Villa Park during the reign of Tony Xia have been a roaring success. But Tshibola has perhaps been the most disappointing.
He arrived amid big expectations when Villa paid Reading £5 million in the summer of 2016, but since then the midfielder has made just eight Championship appearances, not to mention enduring dismal loan spells at both Nottingham Forest and MK Dons.
And they should snap anyone’s hand clean off if they put such a sum on the table. Because no one could claim that Tshibola is worth anywhere near £1.5 million based on his performances over the last year and a half.
After all, this is a player who League One strugglers MK Dons were happy to get rid of, ending his season-long loan spell in November after just 16 underwhelming games.
Villa, then, should be relieved if they earn a seven-figure sum for Tshibola, even if a £3.5 million loss is on the cards. Because, in reality, £1.5 million is far more than the player is worth based on his performances over the last 18 months.
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