Aston Villa have announced they are interested in signing Everton’s James Garner in a new update regarding the midfielder’s future on Merseyside.
Villa are back on form in the Premier League, beating AFC Bournemouth 4-0 before the international break with goals from Emi Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen.
However, one of Unai Emery’s latest signings, Harvey Elliott, was once again completely absent from the match-day squad, having been frozen out since initially joining on loan from Liverpool in the summer after failing to impress the manager.
Reports are circulating that Emery had no intention of signing Elliott in the first place and may have wanted to bring in Lucas Paqueta or Marco Asensio, casting further doubt on the Englishman’s future.
Villa only need to sign the attacking midfielder on a permanent contract if he plays 10 games this season, but as he has fallen out of favor, it is difficult to see a path back for him at this point.
Aston Villa register interest in signing James Garner
It’s clear Emery has serious concerns about Elliott, but Football Insider reports that Aston Villa are interested in signing Garner from Everton and have made contact with the club, hoping to sign another new English midfielder.
The Villans join Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the race for the central midfielder, with the latter club taking a unique approach, so there could be some stiff competition.
His future at Everton is currently “up in the air” as the 24-year-old’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but the Merseyside club retains the option to trigger a one-year contract extension.
The Englishman, who scored his first goal for Everton at Villa Park in the EFL Cup in 2023, has been a key player for David Moyes’ side this season, starting all 11 Premier League games, with a particularly impressive performance against Crystal Palace.
Hailed as “phenomenal” by Trevor Sinclair, the 18-time England Under-21 international has continued to show his versatility this season by being used at right-back and left-back, with a solid performance in the 0-0 draw against Villa in September, earning him a SofaScore match rating of 7.9, the highest of any player.
James Garner’s stats against Aston Villa | completed number |
tackle | 4 |
won a duel | 6(6) |
A big opportunity has arisen | 2 |
As such, Garner could be a shrewd signing for Aston Villa, who should aim to take advantage of the midfielder’s contract situation and seal a deal this winter.
