As Aston Villa begin their preseason schedule, with a short trip to nearby Walsall FC, all eyes will continue remaining on the transfer market instead. Morgan Rogers, strongly linked to Arsenal, all week long, made the shock switch to Chelsea instead. Eslewhere Youri Tielemans left Aston Villa for Manchester United this past week.
And while Villa are reportedly set to complete the signing of João Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers, for a fee in the region of £34m, the official announcement seems to be a bit delayed right now.
Preseason Opener FYIs
Aston Villa at Walsall FC
Kickoff: Tues July 21, 7:30pm
Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium, Bescot, Walsall, West Midlands
Aston Villa Injury Updates: go here
Aston Villa Team News
Perhaps that announcement will come at the beginning of this week. Meanwhile Johan Manzambi, one of Switzerland’s breakout stars at this now concluded World Cup, has been announced as Villa’s first major signing of the window.
He won’t feature in this clash at the League 2 (fourth tier of the pyramid) side however, due to the post tournament holiday that he’s earned.
Elsewhere Boubacar Kamara and Tammy Abraham, two players who have recovered from eeoxecte involved too,
Amadou Onana definitely will not, after he suffered a serious ACL injury while on international duty with Belgium at the World Cup.
Aston Villa World Cup Absentees
The following players will definitely miss out, or are extremely likely to miss out due to national team duty at the World Cup: Lucas Digne (France), Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast), Ezri Konsa (England), Victor Lindelof (Sweden), Emiliano Martinez (Argentina), John McGinn (Scotland) and Ollie Watkins (England).
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.