Journalist Josh Holland has claimed that Anwar El Ghazi leaving Aston Villa in the summer would be a surprise after his impressive form before he moved to England.
There have been reports stating that Aston Villa are ready to listen to offers for El Ghazi after a failed loan move to Everton in the second half of last season. The Dutchman made the switch to Goodison Park in January but featured just twice in the top flight.
El Ghazi featured 70 times for Ajax in the Eredivisie and was in fine form for the Dutch giants, scoring 20 goals and chipping in with 15 assists.
Things have not worked out for him in more recent times, as he made a total of just 10 top-flight appearances for both Villa and Everton last term whilst scoring just once, and Holland claimed to GiveMeSport that it has been a surprise at how his time in England has gone.
With The Times suggesting a number of players such as Trezeguet and Morgan Sanson could be sold by Villa this summer, Holland said of the reports: “I think all of them are expected. I think the only one I was surprised about would be El Ghazi. I rated him when he was at Ajax and Lille. It’s not really worked for him in England, and his loan move to Everton – I can’t even remember him [featuring] for them at all.”
TIF Thoughts on Josh Holland’s comments…
Steven Gerrard has spent no time messing around in this summer transfer window, as he has already made three signings, so he will likely need to get some players out of the club and off the wage bill, especially if he wants to bring more players in.
El Ghazi has not had the expected impact in England since he made the switch to Aston Villa, though he did score 10 goals in 28 appearances in the 2020/21 Premier League season, but other than that, he has not really done anything notable since gaining promotion with the Villans, so you can see why he may be shown the door in the summer.