Emmanuel Dennis appears to be bound for the Premier League this summer. And his relationship with a pair of Aston Villa stars will surely not go unnoticed at a Midland giant that would undoubtedly benefit from his searing pace and big-game nous.
Even before the global health crisis reared its ugly head and thrust football clubs far and wide into a period of unprecedented financial uncertainty, it felt unlikely that the Nigerian international would be sticking around for another year in Belgium.
Club Brugge boss Philippe Clement admitted as much in conversation with Derniere Heure over the weekend, suggesting that Dennis has played his last game for the club recently crowned the Jupiler League champions.
“It is very likely that Dennis will leave. He can count on a lot of interest. It is the time for him to take a new step,” Clement said.
It feels that around half the Premier League has been linked with Dennis at some point or other, captivated by his famous double away at Real Madrid in the Champions League group-stage and that inch-perfect lob against Manchester United in February.
But, if Aston Villa stave off the threat of relegation, the opportunity to link up with a pair of former Brugge teammates at Villa Park may be too good to turn down.
“(Marvelous) Nakamba is like my brother so we talk, and with Wesley also, we make jokes,” Dennis told Sky of two players he shared a dressing room with last season in Belgium.
“I’ll say ‘how is it over there?’, and they always say, ‘this place is difficult, they like to gym all the time’, and I say ‘this is the Premier League my friend, you have to work’.”
Walfoot reported last month that Brugge were hoping to raise £23 million from the departure of another star player. But, with clubs in Belgium and elsewhere haemorrhaging money left, right and centre, Dennis’s price-tag could drop substantially in the weeks to come.
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