Aston Villa are now happy for Jan Bednarek to cancel his loan transfer in January to return to Southampton. The defender has rarely played since joining them under Steven Gerrard.
That is according to Birmingham Live, which reports Bednarek is considering re-joining the Saints next month. He overlooked interest from West Ham United in September for Villa as Gerrard promised the Poland centre-half game time. But he has only featured twice so far.
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Bednarek has further only started one of his two appearances in claret-and-blue, which total just 90 minutes. New Villans boss Unai Emery has also kept the 46-cap star in a backup role since he replaced Gerrard in November. He has been an unused substitute in eight games.
So, Bednarek is now questioning his future in Birmingham and may cancel his loan transfer with Aston Villa to return to Southampton. The Villans would not stand in the 26-year-old’s way if he wishes to head back south, either, given his failure to gain a more prominent role.
New Southampton boss Nathan Jones is also discussing Bednarek’s situation at Aston Villa with club chiefs at St Mary’s. He needs defensive reinforcements over the January transfer window. So, a return for their £5m signing from Lech Poznan back in 2017 may make sense.
Southampton can recall Bednarek if he opts to cancel his Aston Villa loan transfer
Southampton have an option to recall Bednarek should the defender wish to cancel his loan transfer to Aston Villa. He is still under contract at St Mary’s on a £20k-a-week deal through to 2025. Ralph Hasenhuttl was also still in charge on the south coast as Bednarek left them.
But the Saints sacked Hasenhuttl in November and Jones has since taken charge of a team boasting one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League. Only AFC Bournemouth (34) and Nottingham Forest (33) have allowed more goals than Southampton (30) this term.
A 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion in their first game back following the World Cup also saw Southampton slip to the bottom of the top-flight table. They have lost in 10 of their 16 games to three wins and three draws. Gavin Bazunu has also kept one clean sheet.
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