Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard could be hit with a major transfer blow if Matty Cash is to leave the club in the summer following recent speculation.
Indeed, as reported by BirminghamLive, the Villans are set to offer their right-back a new contract with Atletico Madrid rumoured to be lining up a £40m bid for the player.
The article explains how the Spanish outfit want Cash as a replacement for Kieran Trippier, who joined Newcastle United in January. If that offer proves to enticing to turn down for the defender, it could spell trouble for Gerrard and co.
With that in mind, TIF was taken a look at a couple of potential knock-on effects.
Will Matty Cash sign a new deal for Aston Villa?
Yes
No
Chambers to step up
Calum Chambers arrived at Villa this winter, having reportedly left former club Arsenal for free. Since then, he’s made a fairly positive impact. Indeed, he scored a fantastic goal in a recent win against Leeds United, and he also produced a sumptuous pass in a victory over Southampton.
So far, the defender has only played at centre-back for his new club but those two eye-catching incidents suggest he has more to offer than just defending.
If Cash was to leave, Chambers could well be an option to play at right-back. After all, towards the back end of last season, he was trusted by Mikel Arteta to play that role for the Gunners on a number of occasions.
He certainly could provide a ready-made alternative if Atletico land their man in the summer.
Guilbert’s second chance
Of course, if Cash is sold, that could also open the door for another man to step up into the right-back role. After arriving in 2019, it’s probably fair to say Frederic Guilbert struggled to impress Dean Smith. He made just 25 times in the Premier League and has spent the past two seasons out on loan.
Saying that, with a new manager on board, he could perhaps be given a second chance. Gerrard has yet to see the player in a Villa shirt and if he returns to the club this summer – having spent this season as a regular for French club Strasbourg – he may be given a second chance in England.
Dean Smith may not have fancied Guilbert, but with the fullback helping his loan side overperform in Ligue 1 – as they push for Champions League qualification – he may just have done enough to put himself back in the frame.
Indeed, the right-back has more assists than Cash this season, as well as having a better pass success percentage and more successful dribbles, so perhaps he could be an able replacement certainly going forward.
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