Sanson confirmed
The first surrounds a fresh addition to the midfield ranks at Villa Park.
Recent days had of course seen the Claret and Blue hotly tipped to land Marseille standout Morgan Sanson.
In turn, we at 101 sought out some expert insight into the talents of the 26-year-old, which was subsequently provided by journalist Jeremy Smith:
“In the last few years, first for Montpelier and then for Marseille, Morgan Sanson has proved himself a very good, reliable and versatile central midfielder. He joined Montpellier and excelled for them as more of an attacking midfielder. Since joining Marseille, he has gradually moved back into a slightly more defensive role,” said Smith.
“He sits quite deep and directs play. He can play play at the top or bottom of a midfield diamond. In a midfield two whether as a midfield pivot or the middle of a 4-4-2. He has shown to have a decent knack of appearing on the edge of the area, similar to that of how Frank Lampard would pop up to finish off moves.”
“He has got a good longshot on him and is a very good passer of the ball. He has been close to the France squad a few times.”
Evidently, plenty to get excited about for the Aston Villa faithful…
And, ahead of their upcoming meeting with Burnley in 24 hours’ time, the Villans have this evening made Sanson’s addition official.
The Frenchman has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year deal, after a fee worth a rumoured £14 million was agreed upon with Marseille:
Welcome to Aston Villa, @Morgan_Sanson8! 🟣#WelcomeMorgan
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 26, 2021
Grealish latest
The 2nd update regarding Villa to have surfaced on Tuesday comes in the form of a boost on the personnel front.
Ahead of his side’s aforementioned upcoming meeting with Burnley, Dean Smith this afternoon held his latest press conference.
During the media exchange, the English tactician was drawn on a host of topics, including the fitness of Jack Grealish.
Villa’s star man was hauled off late in the club’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle at the weekend, a rarity for Grealish this season.
In turn, in the days following the clash, concern had since spread regarding the gifted midfielder’s fitness.
Smith, though, has moved to dispel such fears, assuring that, though Grealish has been suffering with a tight hamstring, he is fit and available to feature from the off on Wednesday:
Dean Smith clears Jack Grealish. “He didn’t look fatigued but the last couple of days he’s had a tight hamstring. When you feel the game is done you can take a player like Jack off. He is fine. He is available for selection (vs Burnley).”
Table: 🚨 https://t.co/sxhomfaRoh#AVFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) January 26, 2021
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