Report: Aston Villa hoping to complete move for Valencia midfielder Carles Gil

Valencia midfielder Carles Gil was a Spanish U21 international player

Aston Villa will look to complete a deal for Valencia midfielder Carles Gil this week as negotiations continue. The Spanish Under 21 international had spent two years on loan at Elche before returning to the Mestalla in the summer, where he has made infrequent cameos from the bench.

A deal worth initially around £3.2m, but could obviously rise to close to £5m, had looked to have hit a snag concerning agents fees, but Villa are confident that the situation can be resolved.

Gil is a left-sided midfielder who could bring some much needed flair to Villa Park. Whilst he’s on the fringes of Valencia’s team, his technical ability, ball control and vision are all strengths of his.

However, and Villa fans will be most aware of this, Gil doesn’t provide goals and assists on a regular basis. His measly haul of one goal and two assists in Elche’s debut season last year was pretty paltry, especially considering he played in almost every game.

Additionally, Gil makes the move having previously struggled physically in Spain’s top flight, so the Premier League will be a huge challenge for the youngster. Crystal Palace were quick to bring in Sevilla’s Jose Campana last season, but the Premier League, not least Palace’s style and lack of possession, were just wrong for the youngster, and he was sold on the following summer. Gil brings more top flight experience, but Paul Lambert must be wary of the same thing happening to his new winger.

If he shows the correct attitude and application, there’s no reason why he can’t get regular first team football, especially if he can feed Christian Benteke with the right ammunition. Leandro Bacuna, Charles N’Zogbia and Joe Cole are all vying for the spot Gil will be, but if he can show all his attributes early, he can be successful, and one for the long term at just 22 years old.