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Aston Villa Can Save Millions By Giving Kosta Nedeljkovic His Chance
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- Aston Villa Can Save Millions By Giving Kosta Nedeljkovic His Chance
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Aston Villa can save millions by giving Kosta Nedeljkovic his chance
Aston Villa still have plenty of work to do before the transfer window closes, but I'm increasingly of the opinion that signing another right-back doesn't need to be particularly high on the list.
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Villa have been linked with Emerson Royal this summer, although that deal appears to be becoming increasingly difficult to do, and if the choice is between spending money on him or giving Kosta Nedeljkovic a proper opportunity as Matty Cash 's understudy, I'd rather see what Villa already have.
That's not me saying Nedeljkovic should suddenly be competing to become Villa's first-choice right-back. Cash is one of the most important players in Emery's system and, because of the specific job he performs, finding somebody who can genuinely challenge him isn't necessarily going to be easy.
If Villa can identify a right-back in a sensible price bracket who they believe can come in and properly compete with Cash, in the same way Matteo Ruggeri should compete with Ian Maatsen on the opposite side, then it becomes a different conversation. I'm just not convinced Villa need to spend money for the sake of adding another body to the squad.
There are too many other positions that need addressing first.
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Central midfield still needs work, Villa want another number 10 and I think there could yet be movement in the striker department before the window closes. When you're operating within the financial constraints Villa are and having to carefully decide where the money goes, spending another significant fee on a player who might only provide cover for Cash doesn't feel like a priority.
Nedeljkovic is already in the building and I still think there's something there worth working with.
Villa paid decent money to bring him in when he was very highly rated and, while things haven't really got going for him since arriving in England, he's still only a young player. His loan spells haven't been spectacular, but we're also talking about somebody who was considered good enough to be picked up by RB Leipzig and play in the Bundesliga.
He's also a senior international and has been involved throughout Villa's pre-season, so I'd like to see him given an opportunity rather than writing him off without ever really finding out whether he can develop into a useful player for Emery.
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There is a comparison to be made with Andrés García , who was given opportunities following his arrival at Villa but has now moved on. Nedeljkovic has never really been afforded the same chance and, from what I've seen, I think there is more there to work with.
That doesn't mean he has to be the long-term answer.
Villa could go with Cash and Nedeljkovic until January, see how the situation develops and reassess it then. If Nedeljkovic shows that he can handle being part of Emery's squad, Villa have potentially solved a problem without spending another transfer fee. If it becomes apparent that he isn't going to reach the required level, they can return to the market knowing exactly what they need.
The arrival of Ruggeri at left-back should give Villa genuine competition on that side, but the circumstances at right-back are slightly different because Cash is so established within the team. Whoever comes in is going to have to displace a player Emery trusts enormously and whose nouse in the position is fundamental to the way Villa attack.
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That's why any money spent there has to significantly improve the squad.
If Villa suddenly identify somebody they believe can genuinely push Cash, I'll understand the logic, but signing another right-back simply because they feel they need one doesn't make much sense when other areas are crying out for investment.
Emery will ultimately make the call because he sees Nedeljkovic every day and will know whether he believes he can trust him when the competitive games begin. There may well be reasons why the manager hasn't used him more prominently in the past and we've seen enough under Emery to know that his judgement on players is generally vindicated.
From the outside looking in though, this feels like an opportunity to use what Villa already have.
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Give Nedeljkovic the first half of the season, keep the money available for the positions where Villa genuinely need another starting-quality player and revisit right-back in January if necessary.
There are still transfers Aston Villa need to make this summer. I'm not convinced another back-up right-back has to be one of them.
