After losing Douglas Luiz to Juventus, Aston Villa are now set to lose another senior player, with a medical already booked and the deal now reportedly progressing “quickly”.
Aston Villa transfer news
So far, the Villans can judge this summer as a success. Even as Luiz swapped the Midlands for Italy and Juventus, those at Villa Park welcomed both Ezno Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior in quite the swap deal in between the arrivals of Ian Maatsen, Lewin Dobbin and Ross Barkley. Villa may not be done there with incomings either, having been linked to both Joao Felix and Ivan Toney.
Toney, of course, is currently busy preparing for the final of Euro 2024 with England after Villa’s Ollie Watkins scored a last-gasp winner to defeat the Netherlands and secure a spot in Berlin for the Three Lions, where they will play Spain.
Before the likes of Toney and Felix potentially arrive, however, Unai Emery is reportedly set to bid farewell to an experienced member of his current squad. According to Glen Williams, Calum Chambers is close to joining Cardiff City and is set to undergo a medical at the Championship club in a move that “progressed quickly”.
The former Arsenal man looks set to leave after just two years at Aston Villa, in which he featured just 36 times. Left benefitting, however, is a Cardiff side desperately hoping to enjoy a season away from the Championship’s relegation battle.
“Amazing” Chambers needs move
The fact that he’s made 36 appearances in two years paints a fairly accurate picture of what Chambers’ role became at Villa Park and now that their ambitions are set on maintaining their Champions League status, all parties are best suited to moving on.
That’s not to say that Emery doesn’t appreciate the experience and versatility of the defender, however, having praised Chambers during their time together at Arsenal. Emery told the club’s official website: “He helped. He helped us in the training, in the dressing room and when you need him to play right back, centre back, left back like tonight, and we can use him in the midfield also. His performance is starting with his attitude and his attitude is amazing.
“After that is his best position, but tonight for example I was telling him, when he was playing left back, be calm here, help and support Bukayo, give the ball to Dani Ceballos and he was overlapping a lot of times with Bukayo! He did one very good pass for the goal with Nelson.”
Cardiff now seemingly waits nonetheless and the chance for Chambers to play week in week out in a vital role under Bluebirds boss Erol Bulut.
