Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Hull City youngster Jacob Greaves in the summer and his potential arrival at Villa Park could allow Unai Emery to finally ditch Calum Chambers.
Could Aston Villa sign Greaves?
According to the Daily Mail in late February, Villa, Brentford and Nottingham Forest are all monitoring the 22-year-old, who has been a star performer in Liam Rosenior’s side so far this campaign.
The homegrown talent would not come cheap, as last summer, he agreed to a new deal at the KC Stadium until 2026, with the Championship side holding an option for another year.
The report from the Daily Mail suggests that Hull value the versatile defender at around £7m and are braced for bids in the summer after another impressive campaign from the Englishman.
Who is Jacob Greaves?
Greaves would get his first taste of senior football in a loan spell with Cheltenham Town in the 2020/21 campaign before establishing himself as a regular in Hull’s side as they won the League One title the following season.
Former Hull manager Grant McCann was full of praise for the youngster that season, saying:
“It’s been brilliant to see him play these two games, and to play like he has done is a testament to him. He’s looked very assured both in and out of possession and he won 100 per cent of his duels on Tuesday night, which is phenomenal. He’s been brilliant.
“It comes as no real surprise because we see him every day in training and we know what he’s got. He’s got all the capabilities to go on and have a tremendous career.”
He has now made 123 appearances for his boyhood club, in which he has contributed four goals and four assists, featuring as both a centre-back and a left-back for the Tigers.
Could Greaves replace Chambers in Emery’s squad?
Should he arrive at Villa Park in the summer, he would likely compete with the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos for a starting spot in Emery’s side, which leaves little room for the forgotten man, Calum Chambers.
Since joining from Arsenal in January of last year on a three-and-a-half-year deal, Chambers has mustered just 19 appearances for the Villans, which includes only five appearances in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Even in the absence of the injured Carlos, Emery has rarely turned to the 28-year-old and it is easy to see why, as he has earned 5.78 and 5.12 ratings from WhoScored in starts against Manchester United and Manchester City.
He also started the embarrassing home defeat against Stevenage, with Villa losing in all four of his last four starts, so it seems unlikely that Emery will trust the Englishman to start any of the upcoming games.
Therefore, if Greaves does arrive in the summer, it would not be a surprise to see Chambers, who earns £50k-per-week, moved on permanently, rather than just seeing him sitting on the bench after slipping even further down the pecking order at Villa Park.
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