Aston Villa will still be a “huge draw” for young players this summer, despite missing out on signing Assan Ouedraogo, according to Alan Hutton. Reports indicated that Unai Emery’s side was keeping an eye on the 18-year-old star and considering a potential summer move【Florian Plettenberg, 1 June】.
Ouedraogo’s contract with Schalke included a £12 million release clause that had to be triggered by the middle of June. While Villa was keen on bringing him to England, RB Leipzig ultimately won the race.
Although Hutton admitted he was disappointed to see the Villans miss out on the teenager, he believes that Emery’s project and the promise of European football will still help Villa secure some of Europe’s brightest talents.
“I think it always helps,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News. “As a player, you would want to wait as long as possible, especially if there are other teams looking at you because you want to assess all your options and then pick the best one.
“So you’re going to wait and see, but if you’ve got a Champions League club that finished in the top four last season, you’re going to want to be a part of that under a really good manager with a young team that is working to become even better.”
“I can only say that from situations that I’ve been in. You don’t want to jump straight away and then something a month down the line or two weeks down the line could have been better.
“So you’re going to wait and see, but if you’ve got a Champions League club that finished in the top four last season, you’re going to want to be a part of that under a really good manager with a young team that is working to become even better,” Hutton said.
“That’s something he would want to be part of so again, I get that the players will want to wait, but Villa I think will be a huge draw.”
Will Villa Park see the signing of new players by Unai Emery and Aston Villa during the summer transfer window?
Villa may not have won the race for Ouedraogo this summer, but it remains to be seen whether Emery, Monchi, and the rest of the recruitment team even made a genuine push to bring the midfielder to the Premier League.
Reinforcements in the middle of the park are still required between now and the start of next season, particularly as Douglas Luiz nears the Villa Park exit door. However, Villa will take their time before rushing into any new deals.
Alan Hutton remains optimistic about Villa’s future prospects, highlighting Emery’s project and the lure of European football as key factors that will continue to attract top talent to the club.