Aston Villa could be presented with transfer decision after Unai Emery comments
It wasn't too long ago that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery floated the possibility of loaning out young defender Kosta Nedeljkovic in the January transfer window. It was 12 months ago that the Serbian right-back agreed to join the club and signed a permanent deal, while remaining on loan for the remainder of last season at boyhood club Red Star Belgrade.
Nedeljkovic, who only turned 19 last month, joined up with his new Villa team-mates in the summer and took part in the club's pre-season tour. While in Serbia he was used to playing regularly, despite being so young, but at Villa it has been a different story.
The defender, a Serbian international, has made nine appearances for Villa across all competitions this season. With Matty Cash, centre half Ezri Konsa and even academy product Lamare Bogarde occasionally preferred, Nedeljkovic has had to remain patient. His only four Premier League appearances came in the first three of matches in the season and then again, more recently, off the bench on Boxing Day at Newcastle United.
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Otherwise, Nedeljkovic has featured in the Champions League at Club Brugge and RB Leipzig and started both Villa's EFL Cup games, against Wycombe Wanderers and Crystal Palace. A move away, into the continent, for the remainder of this campaign is something Emery himself has been considering.
"I want players knowing tactically and performing tactically and individually, with their quality, always getting the level we want," Emery said last month. "I have to use two players for each position, trying to compete and trying to be ready to play.Some players aren’t consistent in the XI or are even playing minutes, maybe like Kosta Nedeljkovic and Emi Buendia.
"Kosta is a young player - he played some matches at the beginning of the season, but there is still work to do and adaptation for everything to have. In the Premier League, the tactical idea to manage as well and playing with confidence. This is the way he has to do and this is a process we are doing."
Reports in Germany claim VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga are keeping an eye on Nedeljkovic and are exploring the possibility of borrowing the defender, who cost Villa £6.5m last year, for the remainder of this campaign and looking into if the Lions will entertain the idea of including an option to buy in any deal.
