‘The problem is that Steven Gerrard arrived, not Unai Emery’ – Morgan Sanson opens up on torrid Aston Villa spell

Morgan Sanson (29) has opened up on his difficult spell at Aston Villa. The Frenchman is still contractually tied to the Premier League side, however, it is expected that his loan move to OGC Nice will be made permanent at the end of the season. 

After a strong spell as Olympique de Marseille, Sanson made the move to Aston Villa in 2021 for a €15m fee. Naturally, expectations were high, but they weren’t met. The France U21 international made just 23 appearances for the side and spent the second half of last season on loan at RC Strasbourg Alsace, before making the move to Nice this year. 

Two bouts of Covid and a handful of injuries played their part, as did a seemingly difficult relationship with manager Steven Gerrard, as Sanson told RMC Sport. “I was sure of my abilities but some things went very badly with a coach at Aston Villa. The problem is that Steven Gerrard arrived, not Unai Emery,” he said.

Sanson added that current Aston Villa manager Emery had wanted to retain him when he arrived in October 2022, however, he told the Spaniard that he was “finished” at the club. The Frenchman is enjoying his time with Le Gym and has previously expressed a desire to make the move permanent. 

Bar an extremely unlikely turn of events, his move to Nice will be made permanent at the end of the season. As reported by L’Équipe, Sanson has almost fulfilled the conditions to make the loan permanent. In the event that Sanson makes 17 or more starts in Ligue 1 and Les Aiglons finish 8th or higher in the league, the option becomes an obligation.

Sanson has now made 19 starts in Ligue 1, whilst Nice are currently third in Ligue 1, eight points ahead of eighth-placed Stade de Reims. Aston Villa would earn a reported €4m in the transaction.

GFFN