2 months ago
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The summer transfer window was a busy one for Aston Villa as Unai Emery prepared his squad to compete in the Champions League this season but the Birmingham club missed out on one of their top targets.
The Premier League outfit had their eye on Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida as Emery was keen to strengthen his right-back position. However, with the Dutch club seeking £30m for the defender, Villa needed to sell players to make the transfer happen but that never came to fruition, reports HITC.
This allowed RB Leipzig to step in and sign Geertruida as part of a €25m Deadline Day deal with the full-back penning a five-year contract at the Bundesliga club.
Lutsharel Geertruida was a top transfer target for Aston Villa
Speaking about the 24-year-old’s move to Germany, former Tottenham midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart believes Geertruida made the right decision choosing Leipzig over Aston Villa.
“A really good step, I think. This is a nice intermediate step. It’s really a perfect club for him,” the Dutchman told Voetbal Primeur.
“He is very calm and can also play in midfield. Not many defenders can do that,” the pundit continued. “I thought it was a relief when I saw him play.”
Aston Villa’s failure to provide Emery with another right-back has already backfired on the Birmingham club following the latest injury to Matty Cash. The full-back is out of action over the next month with a hamstring issue, leaving the Premier League side’s Spanish coach to come up with a solution.

 
