Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Aston Villa: Keith Wyness shares instant reaction
Aston Villa will not make a move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek after confirming the arrival of Douglas Luiz.
That is according to ex-Aston Villa, Everton, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who does not think Unai Emery will want to “disrupt” his squad.
Luiz has returned to Aston Villa on loan for a second spell, having spent the first half of the campaign at Nottingham Forest from his parent club Juventus.
Aston Villa have been admirers of Loftus-Cheek, who has been at Italian club AC Milan since 2023 after previously being at Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek could ‘disrupt’ Aston Villa squad
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – thinks it “makes sense” that Emery would bring back former players.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness can’t see a move for Loftus-Cheek materialising in January.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “No, it’s not one I think will happen. Luiz going back to Aston Villa will work better.
“[Tammy] Abraham and Luiz both have had spells at Villa. It makes the assimilation for a new player so much easier when they come back in having played at that club before, they know the training ground, they will know a lot of the staff there, and they’ll have had a good time.
“So I think it makes sense, and it does not disrupt the squad, as I say, as much as other signings coming in for the first time might do in a January window. So I don’t think Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the one for Villa at all.”
Aston Villa suffer injury blow
Aston Villa have confirmed the extent of Youri Tielemans’ injury, which the midfielder picked up in victory at Newcastle.
Tielemans could miss Aston Villa’s next 14 matches with an ankle injury, with Emery already without fellow midfielders Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn.
The Belgian will miss crucial games in the Premier League and Europa League, with Emery hoping Luiz can hit the ground running to make up for his absence.