David Ornstein explains exactly how UEFA rules blocked Aston Villa from signing £30m-rated new striker
Aston Villa missed out on the chance to sign a new striker despite concrete interest
After a fairly subdued and frustrating summer transfer window, Aston Villa exploded into life on deadline day with the double loan signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United and Harvey Elliott from Liverpool. Unai Emery’s men also managed to add experienced squad depth to their defence by signing 71-time Swedish international Victor Lindelof following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford.
Overall, it was a successful deadline day for the Villans as they finally managed to get a whole host of targets over the line and into the Bodymoor Heath training ground ahead of the international break. But the deal that ultimately got away despite substantial interest, and a seemingly willingness to do business from the selling club, was Villa’s late push to try and sign promising Newcastle United forward William Osula at the eleventh hour.
North East-based Mail Sport reporter Craig Hope had even revealed that an offer had been accepted for the 22-year-old only for the proposed deal to collapse in the final hours. But why were Aston Villa unable to sign Osula and what does it mean for the club’s striker situation moving forward?
Why Aston Villa failed to strike William Osula deal
Newcastle United striker Will Osula was denied a late move to Aston Villa due to UEFA spending rules. Newcastle World understands that the decision came as a result of Villa doing transfer business with the St. James’ Park outfit earlier in the window when they sold academy graduate Jacob Ramsey for £39m to help combat Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA squad cost rules.
The outlet’s reporter Jordan Cronin explains that if Villa signed Osula after selling Ramsey it would have essentially been viewed as a swap deal in the eyes of UEFA. This is backed up by a podcast with The Athletic’s David Ornstein which delves into the full details behind why the transfer broke down.
Ornstein explained: “They were pursuing Osula from Newcastle as a potential loan, I don’t know if it had an option or obligation because Newcastle wouldn’t have been interested in a straight loan. But they weren’t really able to proceed on it Villa because it would have been characterised under UEFA accounting methods as being like a swap. And by that, I mean a player has already gone from Villa to Newcastle and that was Jacob Ramsey for a significant profit.
“UEFA would have seen it as a trade-off, even though we might see them as independent deals, and they then would have amended downwards the profit that Aston Villa had gained from that transfer. And that basically stopped Villa from doing the Osula deal because they cannot afford to lose the profit from an accounting perspective that they gained from the Ramsey transfer.”
Aston Villa’s current striker situation
Aston Villa retained the services of top scorer Ollie Watkins in a huge boost for Unai Emery’s side, following speculation linking the England international with both Manchester United and Newcastle at various points in the window.
Watkins, who is Villa’s top scorer of the Premier League era, has found the net 87 times in 226 appearances while also contributing an impressive 42 assists. Last term was his second most prolific of the Premier League era as he found the net 16 times.
However, Villa don’t have much squad depth in that position after the big-money sale of Jhon Duran in January and know that they are hugely reliant on Watkins to once again deliver the goods in a long and demanding 50+ game season which features Europa League football.
Should Watkins get injured or need rotation, Villa’s options in attack would be ex-Borussia Dortmund winger Donyell Malen, who is yet to have a regular run of games in a Villa shirt, and Evann Guessand, a £30m summer addition from Nice. Guessand proved he could score goals with 12 in Ligue 1 last season and has often played centrally throughout his career. But it’s believed that his best role is either as No.10 or out wide where he can get more involved in the game from a deeper position.
Villa, however, could return to the table with a fresh offer for Magpies star Osula in January after his proposed £30m move to Frankfurt broke down at the eleventh hour. The exact reason that didn’t materialise is not yet known, but it could perhaps be attributed to Eddie Howe wanting three striker options this season or Osula’s reluctance to leave St James’ Park. However, the details behind that saga have not yet been revealed.