Summary Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is looking to offload midfielder Leander Dendoncker as he doesn't see him as part of his plans for the team. Dendoncker has made limited appearances this season and is behind other midfielders in the pecking order at Villa Park. The Belgium international is available for either a permanent transfer or a loan deal if a suitable offer arises from another club.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is reportedly keen to offload one first-team player in January after it emerged that he doesn't view the man in question as a part of his plans in the West Midlands.
Aston Villa aim for victory at Nottingham Forest…
On Sunday, Aston Villa will be presented with an opportunity to move into the Premier League top four if they can take maximum points from their clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Liverpool travel to Luton Town later on in the day which may make their prospective move in league position a short-term one. Nevertheless, the Villans will feel they can make a genuine bid for Champions League qualification this term following an excellent start that has seen Emery's men accumulate 22 points from their first ten top-flight fixtures.
Writing in his column for Football365, pundit Robbie Savage has predicted that Aston Villa will comfortably see off the Tricky Trees on Sunday afternoon, as he explained: "Aston Villa are in fine form, unbeaten in their last six in all competitions and scoring goals. Ollie Watkins is in fine fine form, Douglas Luiz is also playing well; he’s been a key player for them. What a job Unai Emery has done."
He then added: "Nottingham Forest need to win this one. Their home form last season was one of the reasons they stayed in the Premier League. It’s not as good this year. It’s a game they’ll be looking to win, but I don’t think they will. Aston Villa are not great on the road, but I think they’ve got enough to beat Forest and I’m going 2-0 to Villa."
Despite their positive displays in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Emery will be wary of his bloated squad moving into the January window and it has now emerged that he is keen to offload one man once the transfer period rolls around.
Aston Villa's last five results – all competitions
Competition
Opponent & result
Venue
Premier League
Aston Villa 3-1 Luton Town
Villa Park
Europa Conference League
AZ Alkmaar 1-4 Aston Villa
AFAS Stadion
Premier League
Aston Villa 4-1 West Ham United
Villa Park
Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Aston Villa
Molineux
Europa Conference League
Aston Villa 1-0 Zrinjski Mostar
Villa Park
Aston Villa keen to let go of Leander Dendocker
According to a transfer update from Football Insider, Aston Villa are open to proposals for midfielder Leander Dendoncker as he isn't seen as part of Emery's plans at Villa Park moving forward.
The Belgium international was close to joining Turkish giants Fenerbache in the summer before the proposed deal collapsed and he is now reportedly available either for a permanent transfer or a loan deal should a suitable offer arise for his services from elsewhere.
Becoming a peripheral figure under Emery in the West Midlands, Dendoncker has made just seven appearances across all competitions this term and is behind the likes of Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans in the pecking order at Villa Park (Dendoncker statistics – Transfermarkt).
Dendocker, who has been labelled "brilliant" by Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Max Kilman in the past via The Express & Star cited by Molineux News, now looks set for a new challenge as Emery aims to condense his squad at Villa Park.