Aston Villa have completed the signing of Sevilla defender Diego Carlos for £26 million, subject to a medical over the weekend.
The Villans pulled a coup to sign the Brazilian who had been a long term target of Newcastle United, who tried to sign the defender in January. The Magpies and Los Nervionenses failed to reach an agreement before Villa swooped in and picked the defender.
Newcastle will be getting used to this by now, as Carlos is the umpteenth player who has been picked from under their noses despite having the backing of Saudi Arabia’s PIF.
Villa, on the other hand, have just completed their third signing of the season after signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona and French midfielder Boubacar Kamara who chose not to renew his contract at Olympique de Marseille.
The Birmingham-based club finished 14th in the Premier League in the just concluded season. They started poorly under Dean Smith, but the club’s bold decision to sack the man who helped them gain promotion to the top flight after some years away to replace him with a bright-eyed Steven Gerrard has paid off.
The football has improved, as has the general mood of the club, who now have Gerrard’s charisma to help them in the transfer market.
Aston Villa statement on Carlos signing
A statement from the club read: “Aston Villa can confirm the club has reached an agreement with Sevilla FC for the transfer of Diego Carlos for an undisclosed fee.
“The player will travel to England in the next few hours to complete a medical and finalise personal terms.”
The club still plan to make more signings, with another defender and a forward still on their list. In defence, they have identified Nigerian fullback Calvin Bassey, who played under Gerrard while he was manager at Glasgow Rangers.
The 22-year-old was signed from Leicester City’s reserve side in 2020 and helped the team as one of the most important squad players to seize the Scottish Premiership from the grasp of Celtic.
He could now be returning to England and could be getting his Premier League big break under the manager who gave him his first taste of senior football.
Former Aston Villa captain endorses Bassey pursuit
Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is of Nigerian descent like Bassey and was the former captain of Aston Villa in his time, noted that Bassey is a perfect fit for the club.
He also cited the Scottish Premiership’s financial prowess as a weakness which clubs can exploit.
“The problem with Rangers and Celtic is they can’t pay the money that teams in the Premier League can. Goldson’s trying to move for financial reasons,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider.
“What can Rangers offer Bassey? That’s the issue. He could probably get double the money at Aston Villa. I’m sure he would be reluctant to sign a new contract and see what is out there for him, to be honest.
“There will be clubs out there for him, 1000 per cent. He’s quick, calm on the ball, strong and good in the air. I’d take him at Aston Villa tomorrow. A lot of clubs in the Premier League will look at him. I’m surprised that Leicester let him go, to be honest. That’s very strange.”
