Aston Villa are in a far better place under Unai Emery compared to when Steven Gerrard was in charge of the club. The Spaniard has pushed Villa away from the relegation zone and into a mid-table slot with the goal now being to push to the next step in 2023/24.
Emery has also signed Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran in January while recalling Bertrand Traore from his loan spell in Turkey, and it certainly looks as though he has everything in place to end the Premier League season strongly.
Along with these incomings, he also sent out Frenchman Morgan Sanson on loan to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg for the rest of the season, with it looking all the more likely that he doesn’t have a long-term future at Villa.
The midfielder has been a poor acquisition for the club and the 51-year-old will be aiming to move him on permanently during the summer transfer window in order to free up some funds for more signings.
How much has Morgan Sanson cost Aston Villa?
Former manager Dean Smith signed Sanson in January 2021 after he had impressed for Marseille and a fee of £16m looked as though it could be a wise investment, with the potential to perhaps move him on for a major profit in the coming years.
During his final full season with the French giants, Sanson registered nine goal contributions – five goals and four assists – created five big chances and made 1.1 key passes per game, displaying his attacking abilities. Indeed, Smith clearly felt he could replicate these impressive figures in the Premier League.
It didn’t quite work out like that and his signing has been a colossal waste of money by the club. Since joining just over two years ago, the 28-year-old has made a grand total of 23 appearances for the first team, starting just seven games across all competitions.
These are hardly numbers expected for a player that cost £16m and combining that transfer fee with his total wages – £48k-per-week in the first two seasons and £45k-per-week this term – the Frenchman has rinsed Villa out of £22m in total in just two years with that meaning he has cost the club a staggering £956k-per-outing.
This is a ridiculous number and considering he still has over two years left on his remaining contract, unless Emery can move him on this summer, they will have to continue to pay his hefty wage in full.
Going forward, the manager will be hoping to avoid past mistakes from his predecessors and avoid wasting precious funds in the transfer window.
