Divisive Aston Villa ace 'rejects serious attempt' from ex club to sign him before Deadline Day

Aston Villa have been fairly busy on the transfer market this month and there’s still time to get some last minute deals over the line as well. As they eye another top four finish, the club have brought in Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia to bolster their options and aim for another strong finish this Premier League season.

They’ve also sanctioned two permanent player exits and one loan, including the most recent sale of Diego Carlos to Fenerbahçe. Another senior Villa player has also been approached this window, but it has been reported that he wants to ‘remain loyal’ to his current club.

Robin Olsen has been the subject of a ‘serious attempt’ from former club FC Copenhagen, who are looking to bring him back to the Danish capital this month.

Robin Olsen rejects Villa January exit

According to Sportbladet, the 35-year-old goalkeeper has ‘rejected a return’ to Copenhagen this window and is now expected to stay at Villa Park until the summer. Over the winter window, FCK and Swedish side Malmö FF — both ex-clubs of Olsen — have ‘made it clear’ they want to bring him back in, with Copenhagen leading the drive so far with their attempt.

Both sides have ‘opened their wallets’ and approached Olsen over a potential deal but it is understood that he ‘will remain loyal’ to Aston Villa and will see out his contract instead. Olsen’s deal expires this June, which will open the floor to clubs who will be able to sign him as a free agent. Malmö are reportedly expected to make another attempt to sign the Swede.

The 35-year-old has made just two appearances in all competitions so far this season. Olsen started against West Ham in their 2-1 FA Cup win and was brought on after half-time for one Premier League outing as well. The Swedish international replaced Emi Martínez amid fitness concerns against Chelsea, coming off the bench at 2-0 down and conceding a further third goal to round off the afternoon.

Aston Villa fans torn on Robin Olsen

Olsen has had a mixed reception over recent months from fans who are hoping the Villans will secure Champions League football once again at the end of this season. Last summer, a number of supporters discussed the 35-year-old and whether he is right for the club in a Reddit post.

The original discussion question read: “Anyone else's opinion changed on Robin Olsen?” followed by the author admitting they’d changed their mind on Olsen and realised his is ‘actually pretty good’ and ‘fits the back-up goalkeeper perfectly’. However, others did not share the same opinion.

While one commented Olsen is ‘not suited to what Unai Emery wants’, another was more critical by saying the Swede ‘concedes goals for fun’ and is ‘one of the work back-up goalkeepers’ in the Premier League.

Olsen initially joined Aston Villa on loan from Roma in January 2022, before signing a permanent deal five months later. During his three years at Villa Park, he has made 19 appearances, conceded 39 goals and kept three clean sheets in all tournaments.