Jaap Stam admits Aaron Tshibola had set his mind on joining Aston Villa, £5m deal done

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Reading manager Jaap Stam has discussed midfielder Aaron Tshibola’s move to Aston Villa.

Reading manager Jaap Stam in action for AC Milan

Reading manager Jaap Stam has told Get Reading that, whilst he wanted to keep Aaron Tshibola at the club, the player had his heart set on a move to Aston Villa.

New Royals boss Stam is looking to make a real impact in his first job as a manager, and he’s already snapped up three players in Danzell Gravenberch, Joey van den Berg and Joseph Mendes.

However, he’s also lost one of his key players, as Aston Villa today confirmed the signing of Reading midfielder Aaron Tshibola on a four-year contract.

Tshibola, 21, has come up through the ranks with Reading having joined at the age of 13, and after a loan spell with Hartlepool United in 2015, he emerged in the Reading first team last season.

Having been utilised by current Villa assistant boss Steve Clarke during his time at Reading, Tshibola emerged as one the most talented young midfielders in the Football League, with his athletic ability impressing many – but injuries curtailed his success last season, and he’s played just ten minutes of action in 2016.

Now though, Villa have splashed out to sign Tshibola, with The Mirror reporting that the fee involved is a hefty £5m – and manager Stam has now opened up on the deal.

Stam has told Get Reading that he told Tshibola that he wanted him to stay, but the player had set his mind on joining Villa – and there wasn’t much that he or Reading could do to stop him making the move to Villa Park.

“It’s not just about it being a tough bid to turn down,” said Stam. “The voice of a player counts as well. I said I wanted Tish to stay because he’s a very good player, I think everyone within the club wanted him to stay. An offer came in for him and of course you have to think about what to do – but then you have the player as well.”

“If the player wants to leave and had set his mind on leaving the club then what can you do and that point? I spoke to him but there are a lot of people around him talking and saying things as well. If everybody is telling him to leave and he wants to leave himself then we have to deal with it,” he added.

Do you think Tshibola is a good signing for Aston Villa?