‘That Is Some Deal’ - Pundit on Carney Chukwuemeka Leaving Aston Villa for Chelsea

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has said that Aston Villa came away winners from the Carney Chukwuemeka deal.

This week, Chelsea announced the signing of 18-year-old central midfield player Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa.

Chukwuemeka only had one year left on his deal with Villa and reports claimed that he was not willing to sign a new contract at the club.

Instead of signing him for free next summer, the Blues bit the bullet and paid £16million for him this window.

The 18-year-old was attracting a lot of interest from Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool, along with European giants like Barcelona.

Even though Chukwuemeka is relatively unproven in the Premier League, he can come straight into the first team set-up and learn from the senior figures at the club.

The overall deal for the 18-year-old is worth £20million, a figure that both clubs can be happy with according to one pundit.

“Chelsea’s infrastructure makes it possible for that deal to happen,” McLeish told Football Insider.

“They are clearly very sure of their ability and his potential, to sign him for that kind of money.

“That is some deal for Aston Villa, it has to be said. This is another quality young player who is on the rise.

“He could go on to do things in the future but Villa now have that money to spend without losing a key player for the here and now.

“I’m sure they would have wanted to keep him but I’m not sure how possible that was.”
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