Aston Villa chiefs are not pleased with Smith’s transfer decision regarding 24-cap Int’l – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Aston Villa Chiefs are thought to be unhappy with Dean Smith’s which decision to send Conor Hourihane out on loan to Swansea City during the January transfer window as per Football Insider.
Villa are currently struggling with creativity because of Jack Grealish’s injury and Hourihane could have been a useful option for them right now.
Apart from scoring goals, the 24-cap Republic of Ireland international is excellent with his set-piece delivery and he could have been a handy player for Villa. Perhaps keeping Hourihane for the remainder of the season as a squad option would have been a wise move.
The Premier League side signed Morgan Sanson from Marseille for a fee of around £14 million after loaning Hourihane out to Swansea and the Frenchman is still adapting to his new team and the new League.
The likes of Ross Barkley started the season well but the on-loan Chelsea midfielder has been quite poor in recent months.
When Smith decided to loan Hourihane out, he had three creative midfielders at his disposal in Grealish, Sanson and Barkley. However, Barkley and Sanson have not been at their best and Grealish’ injury has left Villa lacking in the creative department.
Aston Villa started the season very well but their form has dipped considerably in recent weeks. The West Midlands club have picked up just four wins in their last 15 matches in all competitions and the players will be under pressure to turn their season around.
Dean Smith’s men are still in a very good position in the Premier League table and European qualification is still very much on the cards for them. They are currently 9th in the table with 41 points.