Sveve Botman remains a possibility for Aston Villa. The defender is in talks with AC Milan, but a move to Villa Park may still happen. Steven Gerrard looks to bolster his defensive options, with the signing of Sevilla defender Diego Carlos complete, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Next on the list may be Sveve Botman. Talks between Lille and the reigning Serie champions haven’t been smooth. Sporting director and legendary defender Paolo Maldini called Botman a “great defender” but also said that he is “not the only good defender in the world”. Newcastle remain interested too. According to transfer expert Dean Jones, the Dutch international does not necessarily see a move to the Villains as a step-down.
It’s quite a big climb down to then suddenly end up at Aston Villa, but then again, the profile of the club’s still big, you’ve got a manager with big ambition and the sort of money on the table is going to be as good if not better. So while on the surface level, you think, ‘That is a big climb down’, actually, from the player’s point of view, it might not be.
Aston Villa: England’s Upcoming Club?
Other than Botman, James Tarkowski is another option on Gerrard’s shortlist. The imposing Burnley defender formed a solid partnership with Ben Mee under Sean Dyche. Now that Burnley have been relegated, many of the bigger clubs may have an eye for Tarkowski.
Aston Villa have shown an incredible amount of ambition over the years. The signings of Boubabcar Kamara, Diego Carlos, and Leon Bailey bear testament to this. Results on the pitch are yet to be seen though. The addition of Botman would be yet another statement of intent.
Provided that Steven Gerrard can make this team click, it will be exciting to see their trajectory. An outside chance of European football may well be on the cards for the two time European champions.
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