During the winter window Aston Villa made a number of signings. Players like Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, Calum Chambers and Robin Olsen joined the club. Most of the attention went to the incoming transfers, however the Villans were also busy in securing exits. One of them being Anwar El-Ghazi on a loan to Everton from Aston Villa.
The winger was loaned out to Everton with the hopes of him getting minutes. But the 26-year-old has only played nine minutes so far under Frank Lampard. The Dutchman who earns around £38k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has only made a late substitute appearance against Leeds United.
With that it’s safe to say that El-Ghazi’s loan spell to Everton, as of now, hasn’t been a fruitful one.
TIME UP FOR EL-GHAZI?
Since Steven Gerrard was appointed as Villa boss, El-Ghazi has only made three substitute appearances for the Midlands club. A lack of game time is one of the primary reasons of him being loaned out. But the winger has struggled to find that even at Goodison Park.
Villa could look to end the loan move if the Dutchman continues to struggle with minutes. His lack of game time won’t be beneficial to either him or the club.
With Villa having an option to secure the signing of Coutinho on a permanent basis in the summer when his current loan deal ends, if they were to keep him at the club beyond this season, this wouldn’t do much for El Ghazi’s chances of getting regular game time under Gerrard in the future.
Despite being labelled as a “nightmare” to come up against on the training field by former Villa defender Alan Hutton, the winger was anything but scary on the pitch before he joined the Toffees with just one goal and one assist to his name in the league this season. He hasn’t been able to make enough goal contributions to warrant starts.
That’s why Villa could cash in on the winger in the summer if things continue to be this way. With possible arrivals already lined up, including the likes of Phil Coutinho, the Dutchman’s time at the club could be over.
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