FC Barcelona sent several players on loan in the last summer window. Some of these younger loanees were sent to other clubs to allow them to play at smaller clubs with more playing time and fewer expectations, while other players were sent because the Catalan club could not afford to keep paying their wages and they were not needed in the first team.
One of the players in this latter category was the French defender Clement Lenglet. The defender was sent to Aston Villa, which significantly lightened Barcelona’s wage bill, while the Catalan club also hoped that his performances in England would open up a market for the defender in the upcoming transfer window.
Emery happy with Lenglet
However, recently, there were reports that Barcelona are looking to recall Lenglet from Aston Villa in January and send him to a La Liga club to enhance his playing time and increase his demand in the market.
Now, SPORT reports that the Aston Villa coach, Unai Emery, is actually very happy with Lenglet, and the Premier League side is not considering ending the loan in January and also not considering his continuation beyond the end of his loan contract.
Emery is making two Aston Villa teams, one for the Premier League and another for the Europa League. The Frenchman is a starter in the latter team, and Aston Villa wants its squad to remain competitive.
Lenglet not going to continue with Villa
There are two other left-footed center-backs in the Aston Villa squad, Pau Torres and Tyron Mings. The latter is currently out with an injury but will return for the next season, thus eliminating the need for Lenglet.
Thus, it is unlikely that Lenglet will be recalled by Barcelona in the winter to be resent to another La Liga club on loan. The Catalans will then have to look for another solution for him in the next summer window, as Aston Villa are not going to keep him.
