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Emery kicks Nakamba out

Sport
Marvelous Nakamba

Warriors midfielder Marvelous Nakamba has been told to leave Aston Villa by coach Unai Emery.

There has been a lot of speculation over Nakamba’s future at the club as he has been starved of game time, rarely making it on the bench since the Spaniard took over from Steven Gerrard last October.

Emery has put speculation to rest by openly telling the former Club Brugge star to leave as he has not future under his reign.

He told the media that he had already spoken to the midfielder and told him to move.

“In other positions as well, we are speaking about how we can improve, some players like (Marvelous) Nakamba, I told him to leave,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“(Morgan) Sanson as well is in the possibility to leave, but Sanson for me is a very good player, he understands very good how we want to play and he has the skill to do it, but he has to play in a team to be consistent, trying to play more and here it’s difficult to give him it — he is as well finding something to leave.

“If they are leaving — Nakamba, Sanson, maybe we try to add one player more inside, inside midfielder. It’s not clear about this possibility because I want to sign one player (who will) improve the quality of the squad.”

Nakamba’s progress at Aston Villa, curtailed by a knee injury and the coming in of Leander Dendoncker and Boubacar Kamara, makes it even more difficult for the Warriors man to stay.

Earlier, the Birmingham Mail had predicted that the 28-year-old would be shipped out as he has been used sparingly since Emery arrived.

“The 28-year-old was a key figure in the early days of Steven Gerrard’s reign, but a knee injury stunted his progress in claret and blue. The Zimbabwean international is yet to stake a claim within the first team since that run of games in 2021, with the signings of Dendoncker and Kamara seemingly putting the writing on the wall for the fan favourite,” the publication wrote.

“Nakamba has been used sparingly across the mid-season friendlies by Emery, with the midfielder yet to feature for more than 10 minutes against Villarreal, Chelsea and Brighton, respectively. When playing at his best, Nakamba can be an asset to any team with his disruptive play ahead of the defence, talents which should be on display regularly as he approaches the end of his 20s.”

Nakamba has previously been linked with Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace in England, but the clubs might have cooled their interest.

He has also been linked with a move to France as well as Turkey.  The midfielder still has a year and half on his contract.

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