We’re thrilled to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa blogger; each week, he’ll share his thoughts on the club’s most pressing issues…
According to Dan Bardell, Clement Lenglet “lost his way” at his previous teams before joining Aston Villa on loan.
The Frenchman was the Villans’ penultimate summer signing, joining on a season-long loan from Barcelona after previously loaning to Tottenham.
However, after his £30.7 million move from Sevilla to Camp Nou in 2018, he has struggled to sustain consistent form and live up to expectations, costing him his spot in France’s senior squad since his last appearance in 2021.
While the 28-year-old has “lost his way” in recent seasons, Bardell believes he has been unable to show his best form amid the “mess” of Spurs’ season last season, and his move to Barcelona hasn’t “worked out brilliantly,” but he is the “highest level” opinion Villa could have gotten in the short term.
“He obviously played in the Premier League last season with Tottenham,” Bardell told Villa News exclusively. He did okay at Spurs; he wasn’t a major issue for them, but he wasn’t particularly exceptional either.
“He wasn’t the only one who suffered at Spurs last season.” He got himself into a bit of a pickle there. Monchi has already worked with him at Sevilla and brings a wealth of knowledge.
“He’s a France international who has played for Barcelona and signed a lucrative contract.”
“Lenglet has lost his way a little bit in recent years.” His moves haven’t worked out so well for him. These huge moves, to Barcelona and Spurs, haven’t worked out, but it may not be his fault.
“But they needed another left-sided centre-back, and Lenglet is the highest level Villa could get on a short-term basis.”
In other Aston Villa news, Dan Bardell has described a new signing as “unique.”
