Lille winger Anwar El Ghazi is still expected to join Aston Villa on a permanent deal despite the club finalising a deal to sign Jota, according to Birmingham Mail reporter Gregg Evans.
The reliable journalist claimed via his personal Twitter account on Wednesday that Dean Smith is a fan of El Ghazi and believes that he can improve the 24-year-old, who wants to turn his loan spell at Villa Park into a permanent stay.
Smith likes him, believe he can improve too. El Ghazi said he wants to stay.
I don’t know the finer details of the arrangement but I expect him to become a permanent Villa player.— Gregg Evans (@greggevans40) June 5, 2019
Villa snapped up Jota from local rivals Birmingham on Wednesday and although the Spaniard plays in a similar position the El Ghazi, it is understood that the Netherlands international is still someone that is likely to join the Villans.
OPINION
That will be a relief for the Aston Villa fans who have enjoyed watching El Ghazi play for them in the Championship. El Ghazi played a key role in Smith’s side winning promotion to the Premier League as he scored six goals and supplied six assists in 36 appearances across all competitions. One of those goals came in the 2-1 win against Derby County in the play-off final, so snapping him up last summer on a loan deal from Lille was worth it just for that one goal alone. Signing Jota is a bit of an odd move for Villa because the former Brentford winger has hardly stood out in his two seasons at St Andrew’s. However Smith clearly sees something in him and the manager’s decision should be trusted. El Ghazi is better than Jota though and if Smith snaps up the Dutch winger as well, fans should expect him to be in the starting line-up by the time next season kicks off.