Paul Doyle of The Guardian recently wrote that Henri Lansbury might be loaned out before the January transfer window shuts, but Aston Villa could struggle to offload him due to his lofty wages and unwillingness to leave. Dean Smith doesn’t expect any outgoings this month, either.
The 30-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has been tipped to leave as he is surplus to requirements at Villa Park, but Lansbury rejected the chance to terminate his contract early despite being omitted from the Premier League squad in October.
Dean Smith has chosen Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Ross Barkley, Conor Hourihane, Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey ahead of him in midfield, but Lansbury seems content not to play and could ride out the season on his £2m-a-year contract.
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Lansbury has made three appearances in the Carabao Cup this season, last featuring in October’s 1-0 defeat to Stoke City. He has made just one Premier League appearance since January 2020, so the writing appears to be on the wall as regards his future at Villa Park.
With a lack of match fitness and lofty wage demands, how will Villa find a suitor for Lansbury? One solution might be for the Midlands outfit to cover some of his salary to lower the cost for a buying club, but his stock is hardly high enough to warrant much interest regardless.
