Loic Bade proves drastic shift as Aston Villa will never take £17.5m Sevilla transfer hit again
Diego Carlos’ time at Aston Villa is nearing its end as he closes in on a move to Fenerbahce.
The defender is due to fly to Istanbul to complete his move to the Turkish giants, who are in desperate need of reinforcements in the winter window. Manager Jose Mourinho identified Carlos as one of his primary targets as the Portuguese looks to bring in two new centre-backs.
There is a verbal agreement in place with Fenerbahce over a fee of £8.5m, but Villa were never going to get anywhere near the £26m they paid Sevilla for Carlos’ services back in the summer of 2022. Unfortunately, the Brazilian snapped his Achilles tendon in his second appearance for the club and missed the majority of the 2022/23 campaign as a result.
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A year after his move to Villa Park, Carlos turned 30 years of age, while the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Leander Dendoncker - who were also signed by Steven Gerrard - also have very little resale value. Digne, to his credit, has been one of the most consistent performers for Villa since the start of last season, helping Unai Emery’s side to qualify for the Champions League.
Carlos also played his part in the club’s progress under the Spaniard and was named the man of the match in both of Villa’s wins over Arsenal in the league last season. He helped keep clean sheets in those victories, while also keeping Erling Haaland quiet for the most part in that memorable 1-0 win against Man City at Villa Park.
But as Villa aim to continue progressing as a club, their transfer policy has changed quite drastically. Given the strain caused by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), Villa have to protect themselves by signing players who can grow under Unai Emery and rise in value.
That’s why they are considering a move for 24-year-old Loic Bade as a replacement for Carlos, instead of replacing him with another defender who they’d be losing money on later down the line. Ironically, Villa are expected to go back to Sevilla in search of another centre-back, but the difference in profiles between Carlos and Bade speaks volumes of the transfer policy in place.
Wages are also factored into the PSR equation, and more often than not, recruiting players before they reach their prime allows a club to lock them into a five-year deal, with the option to then offer fresh terms as a reward for their improvement.
Villa wanted to move Carlos on last summer to facilitate a move for Lutsharel Geertruida, but a move for the Brazilian never materialised. His contribution in one of Villa’s most successful seasons for decades can’t be forgotten, but it was right for all parties that he is now moving on.
Clearly, Villa thought this window provided them with a final opportunity to get a reasonable fee for him, while the player himself can move to a division where he will likely be able to play more regularly due to the physical demands being less than the English top-flight.
