Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio appears to be on his way to Paris Saint-Germain but one Spanish football expert can understand why a move the Premier League with Aston Villa may have appealed to him.
The comparisons to Philippe Coutinho, when reports emerged suggesting that Aston Villa were looking to lure Marco Asensio to England following the expiry of his Real Madrid, were as inevitable as they were lazy.
Coutinho arrived at Villa Park a shadow of his once brilliant self. Asensio, in contrast, is a player at the peak of his powers, having only turned 27 in February.
He was a regular under Carlo Ancelotti last season, and even enjoyed his best campaign ever in terms of goals and assists (20 combined).
Aston Villa miss out as Marco Asensio chooses PSG
According to Marca, Villa boss Unai Emery held talks with Asensio over the phone regarding a potential move to the Midlands.
The Europe-bound Villains looked well placed to secure an eye-catching deal for the three-time Champions League winner too, until PSG muscled their way into pole position (The Athletic).
“I could see Aston Villa. Playing for a Spanish manager, in the Premier League for a team that is improving,” former Tottenham and Man United forward Terry Gibson explains on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
“There are other players at Villa who he would know from Spanish football. I could see the attraction of that. And every now and then, you get a club that is going in the right direction who start to attract lots of different players.
“It’s a big club as well, Aston Villa. It’s a really big club. So I could see that.
“When PSG come in, I guess financially they blow Aston Villa out the water. Whereas (before) Aston Villa were blowing everyone else out the water until PSG came along!” Gibson adds.
That would have been the attraction at Villa; ‘Oh, Aston Villa? They’re paying this much?’.”
The Athletic add that Asensio has chosen to accept PSG’s offer. He will fill a void created by the departure of Lionel Messi on the right-wing.
But while Aston Villa have little choice to accept defeat, the mere suggestion that a player of Asensio’s quality and reputation was willing to consider their offer in the first place is testament of how far the club has come since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in the autumn.
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