Elye Wahi made the right choice with surprise Lens move
Elye Wahi made a move that took everyone slightly by surprise as he made the switch from Montpellier to Lens after links with a number of other top clubs around Europe.
Still, I think it is a great move for the player and club. Lens were closing on Chuba Akpom before he favoured Ajax and that was a bit of a blow so this was a nice pivot to sign a player in Wahi who needed the step up in level with European experience for a club who needed to replace a major source of goals in Lois Openda.
Wahi has shown that he can score regularly in Ligue 1 and will now get a taste for Europe while Lens can further develop a player who is already being watched by Europe’s top clubs. It is a better fit than being loaned to Strasbourg so it is little surprise to see Wahi jumping at the opportunity and it us also heartening to see such a significant deal done between French clubs which are not PSG.
Frankfurt will likely continue to pursue Ekitike and Chelsea had Wahi as one for the future and not now which was perfect for Lens who will make him an immediate starter across all competitions.
Nuno Tavares doesn’t look right for Aston Villa
As a Villa fan myself, I am a bit wary of stories about Nuno Tavares being a target. Unai Emery has made it clear since day one that the wide options available to him were not ideal so Lucas Digne and Matty Cash have both been up against it to impress. Alex Moreno came in and then got injured and that has heightened the need for reinforcement hence the interest in Marcos Acuna who is Emery and Monchi’s preference.
As we saw on loan at Marseille last season, Tavares is great going forward but even more questionable defensively than Villa’s current and proposed options. Should something happen, it would likely be because the pursuit of Acuna has been compromised. Sevilla are unhappy with Monchi and those wounds are still fresh as he pursues a player he has expert knowledge of.
Should Villa move for Tavares before this summer window closes, he would bring as many problems and solutions in my honest opinion.