Premier League outfit Aston Villa ‘discussed’ signing Dutch international Memphis Depay before he swapped Barcelona for La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid during the January transfer news, according to The Athletic.
Was there a better pound-for-pound signing in the whole of the winter window? £2.5 million was all it took for Atletico Madrid to sign a Dutch international with 43 goals in 86 appearances for the Oranje; a man with Barcelona, Lyon, PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United on his glittering CV.
Depay fell down the pecking order at the Camp Nou following the arrivals of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and co. But, at a Colochoneros side often lacking creativity and inspiriation in the final third, the 28-year-old could become something of a talismanic figure under Diego Simeone.
Aston Villa, The Athletic say, considered making a move for Depay. Their hopes were soon extinguished, however, once it became apparent that the 2015 Eredivisie Golden Boot winner had his heart set on joining Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, entering the final few months of his Barcelona contract.
Memphis Depay swaps Barcelona for Atletico Madrid
Depay endured a difficult time at the Camp Nou. And one suspects Dutch legend Ruud Gullit will be delighted to see his compatriot swap Catalonia for Madrid.
“Memphis has a problem (at Barcelona),” Gullit told Sport at the start of January. “Because in front of him, there is a world-class player like Lewandowski.
“Is Memphis a world-class player? He can be. At Lyon, he showed that he can be.”
Depay scored 22 goals and set up 12 more during his final season in France, adapting brilliantly from his previous left-wing role to a more central position which made the most of his emphatic finishing ability and supreme link-play.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, find themselves worryingly short of attacking options as things stand. Villa sold their top scorer Danny Ings and replaced him with unproven teenager Jhon Duran. Ollie Watkins is now the only ‘proven’ Premier League centre-forward at Unai Emery’s disposal.
‘A player arrives with enthusiasm and the desire to recover his best form,” Simeone says; comparing Depay to Atletico’s 2014 La Liga-winning legend. “We will work to meet the player who was at Lyon, where he demonstrated his strength. We will bring him to his best form.”
‘I see him similar to (Diego) Costa.”
Depay has made two appearances off the bench for Atletico so far.
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