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Nicolo Zaniolo is considering leaving Aston Villa and returning to the Serie A this summer.
According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport via TMW, Nicolo Zaniolo is unhappy at Aston Villa due to a lack of playing time. The player hopes to make Italy’s Euro 2024 squad. Luciano Spalletti, the national team manager, has called him to explain his abrupt slide in Unai Emery’s pecking order.
From August to early December, Zaniolo appeared in 10 league games (out of 13) and scored one goal in 470 minutes. This was in addition to playing in Villa’s six Conference League group-stage games. However, Emery’s optimism in the attacking midfielder was dashed, as he only played 71 minutes in the league and 31 minutes in the FA Cup between Christmas and the new year. This lack of playing time diminishes the player’s prospects of staying with the Birmingham-based team.
Aston Villa have already chosen not to pursue a permanent deal for the 24-year-old, and he will return to his parent club Galatasaray. Zaniolo has decided to return to Serie A and play for Milan, who are also keeping an eye on his progress. Napoli and Fiorentina have also kept their radars on the Italian international, and a transfer battle might break out if there is any movement over his future.
Nicolo Zaniolo having ‘hard time’ at Aston Villa
There have been flashes from Zaniolo to suggest that he is a good player, but he simply hasn’t shown enough during his loan spell with Villa.
The Italian arrived from Galatasaray with a big reputation, having scored five goals in just 12 games for the Turkish side last year.
But the Premier League is a completely different animal and, despite making 27 appearances this season, the attacking midfielder’s time so far at Villa Park has been largely forgettable.
