Aston Villa announce first signing of July

Aston Villa’s first completed transfer deal of a pivotal month for the team has been announced by the club. Left-back Matt Targett joins the Villa from Southampton for an undisclosed fee that is rumoured to be an initial £11.5 million.

That fee could rise as high as £17 million. However that depends on a number of events taking place, namely Aston Villa surviving their comeback season of Premier League action and Targett making the England squad. If those things happen, then the move is worth every single penny as it’d be a success. No doubt about it.

Targett couldn’t manage to displace Ryan Bertrand at Southampton after an impressive season on loan to Fulham in the Championship a few seasons ago. An adept-crosser and all-round fullback, Targett will add to Villa’s depth at the position alongside Welsh international Neil Taylor. The initial fee represents good value for Aston Villa and helps them improve at the back.

Targett still has years ahead of him and can improve. Never the fastest full-back, he’ll need to work on the other aspects to his game - but Villa don’t need speed in this area. Talented wingers like Anwar El-Ghazi and Andre Green can provide that. Targett just needs to provide excellent delivery on a consistent basis. At the very least he’ll need to match the output of Ahmed Elmohamady who showcased effective full-back play last season.

It’s set to be a chaotic month for Villa, but here’s a new player in a crucial position locked down to the club. More will follow, but in the meantime Matt Targett is a crucial addition to the club.