Aston Villa are looking to sell Bjorn Engels and Marvelous Nakamba only one year after they joined the Premier League outfit, according to the Daily Mail.
While it would be unfair to suggest Dean Smith’s side ‘did a Fulham’ last summer, it’s fair to say some of their big-money signings didn’t live up to expectations.
Villa paid a combined £18 million to bring Engels and Nakamba to the Midlands from Reims and Club Brugge respectively, but reports suggest the centre-back and defensive midfielder are up for sale already.
Engels, in particular, started 2019/20 impressively alongside Tyrone Mings at the heart of Aston Villa’s back line, producing stand-out performances against Tottenham and Everton.
But in a 3-2 defeat to Spurs in February, the Belgian gave away a penalty before gifting the winner to Son Heung-Min. That game was followed by a 4-0 thrashing at Leicester City.
A ruptured Achilles tendon then kept Engels out of the Villa side during a dramatic run-in that ended in a last-gasp escape from relegation.
The Mail claims Nakamba could also be sold after failing to start any of their final six games of 2019/20.
“He’s a wonderful person,” Smith said in October of a man who struggled to adapt to the pace of English football. “He’s got such an enthusiasm that, when you meet him, straight away you’re endeared to him.”
Interestingly, January signing Mbwana Samatta has also been tipped to depart following the club-record addition of Ollie Watkins from Brentford, while right-back Frederic Guilbert could return to France in a £5 million deal (L’Equipe).
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